Liverpool’s Matthew Jordan has qualified for the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
The Englishman, a member of Royal Liverpool Golf Club, made it through Final Qualifying at West Lancashire Golf Club in a dramatic sudden-death play-off against Joe Dean and amateur Sam Easterbrook.
The three Englishmen finished tied for fifth place at eight under par after the 36 holes of regulation play.
After an all square visit down the 10th hole, Jordan’s approach to the 18th green pitched with a lot of spin and dug its teeth in.
Dean and Easterbrook could not respond.
It left Jordan with a three-foot putt for birdie to secure the last available qualifying spot from West Lancashire.
Jordan expressed his excitement at qualifying for the major tournament, which will be held so close to home for him.
He told Merseysportlive: “Yeah, brilliant. Absolutely amazing.
“Certainly, with it being at Birkdale and with it being close to home and stuff like that, and everything that comes with a fairly home open. It’s special.”
Jordan believes his game was in the right place coming into the event, but acknowledged that he’s been fine-tuning his putting.
“Yeah, it was completely the opposite today, but I’ve actually played really well for the last six or seven weeks, but I have just putted terribly.
“So, we have worked really hard at that.
“Coming back to links greens felt comfortable, but then decided to start playing worse, which is typical when you start putting better.
“Yeah, my game has been good. I have just, to be honest, I have experienced a couple of bitter pill to swallow experiences in the last couple of weeks, with like Shinnecock [Hills] and stuff like that.
“So, to be able to actually get payback on the game a bit, as if it were, or be rewarded for actually working hard, is satisfying.”
And he feels he does not need to change anything in his approach to the links style of the game when he tees it up at Royal Birkdale later in July.
“No, no. I have played it [Royal Birkdale] all my life.
“Thankfully, hopefully, I should know what I am doing.
“I love that course. I think it is a brilliant course, so, yeah, I will just play it in the way I think it is designed to be played.”
The five players who qualified at West Lancashire Golf Club for The Open are: Samuel Bairstow (-10), Kazuma Kobori (-9), José Luis Ballester Barrio (-9), Tiger Christensen (-9), Matthew Jordan (-8) (after playoff).
The first round of the 154th Open Championship gets underway on Thursday 16th July at Royal Birkdale.
World number one Scottie Scheffler is the reigning champion after his victory at Royal Portrush last year, with a winning score of -17.
(Featured image by Ross Parry)
