Paul McGinley had to endure a four-hole play-off in Final Qualifying at Panmure yesterday to get into the field of 156 for the British Open, starting here at Carnoustie on Thursday. The only other qualifier out of 16 Irish challengers was Padraig Harrington, who got through at the same venue.
It means the country will have only five representatives in the premier championship of the golfing year. Darren Clarke was already exempt through the European Order of Merit and the world rankings; Des Smyth qualified by finishing 14th at Royal Birkdale last year and amateur Paddy Gribben received an invitation after his victory last year in the European Strokeplay Championship.
This has to be viewed as a grim outcome, only two weeks after the Murphy's Irish Open in which only three Irish players made the cut at Druids Glen. Small wonder that local journalist Scott Crockett, in charge of collating the qualifying information, suggested mischievously that we should look more closely at a certain Sean Farrell.
"Never mind that he claims to have been born in Zimbabwe," said Crockett. "We will grill him mercilessly until he admits to being Irish." Even that ploy was doomed to failure, when Farrell missed out at Downfield after being involved in a play-off.
McGinley, who added a level-par 70 to his 69 of Sunday, became involved on 139 in a five-way play-off for four places. England's Andre Raitt and Spain's Santiago Luna got through with birdies at the first, and another Englishman, Ross McFarlane, birdied the long second to claim the third place.
So, the remaining place rested between McGinley and American David Sutherland, who got up and down to save par at the 17th, their third play-off hole. But the Dubliner eventually prevailed with a par four at the tricky, 462-yard 18th. This was where Sutherland's drive caught a grassy ridge across the middle of the fairway, whereas McGinley was safely on the green in two.
After the American failed to get up and down for par, McGinley was left with a four-foot par putt to claim a place in the Open for a fourth successive year. And he confidently holed it to compensate for disappointments in recent weeks.
Harrington, meanwhile, seemed far from enthusiastic about his prospects for the week after adding a 67 to Sunday's 71 to qualify at Panmure on 138. He started with birdies at the first two holes, and eight-foot putts for birdies at the 14th and 16th allowed him to cover the last five in two-underpar.
"The course was easier today, but I seem to be losing the skill for playing links golf," he said. "I would probably have played the course better in my amateur days."
Of the unsuccessful Irish challengers, the only two to go close were Eamonn Darcy, who shot a second round 68 at Monifieth Links to miss out by a stroke, and John Murray on the same mark.
And Darcy and Harrington were the only Irishmen to break 70 on a day of notably sharp scoring.
It was certainly a notable occasion for the interestingly named Zane Scotland, who got through on 140 at Downfield after a second round 69. It so happens that Master Scotland, from the Woodcote Park club in Surrey, celebrates his 17th birthday next Saturday.
He becomes the second-youngest qualifier for the Open, following the lead of Sandy Lyle who was only 16 years five months when leading the qualifiers for a place at Royal Lytham in 1974.
