Ecstasy turns to agony for Open hopeful

Jul 9 2008 The Journal

JONATHAN Lupton agonisingly missed out on next week’s Open Championship at Birkdale after a nerve-wracking six-hole play-off in final qualifying at Southport and Ainsdale.

The 29-year-old Middlesbrough professional had to wait around most of the day after shooting a second-round 72 for 143 to tie with Jamie Howarth and Gary Boyd.

With amateur Tom Sherreard and John Bevan locking up two of the four places on offer, the trio had to go out at just after 6pm for a sudden-death play-off for the two remaining spots.

Howarth made sure of one of them with a solid par three at the 204-yard first and Lupton could have joined him when he chipped down the bank to eight feet, but he shaved the hole and Boyd matched his four after being in sand.

Then Lupton nearly holed from 40 feet at the next but both finished with five, Boyd lipping out for a four. The next (17) was shared in fives again and the next (18) in fours, so it was back down the first hole and it was this time shared in threes, but Boyd was lucky to see his ball bounce off the back of the bunker and finish on the green.

Both players drove into the left rough at the next and Lupton found an awful lie and he did well to get it down the fairway and within range, while Boyd was again lucky not to be in a bunker and chipped to the back of the green.

Lupton’s chance really disappeared when he failed to get his third shot on to the raised green and, although he pitched his next to 12 feet, he then missed the putt, leaving Boyd to hole a six-footer to clinch the final spot.

Lupton was distraught afterwards, asking himself: “Why on earth didn’t I hit a wedge rather than a sand iron? I want my head examined.”

He’s being hard on himself – he was the closest to making it through of the regional players and earlier in the day after his 72, he said: “It’s just very hard out there and the three bogeys I had in a row from the fourth could cost me.”

He was right – but he should also look back on the fact he holed a 20-footer at the 18th to get into the play-off. However, all he will be thinking of is the fact he had a chance to qualify for the Open and didn’t make it.

His failure leaves Hartlepool’s Graeme Storm as the region’s sole representative at Birkdale next week.

Craig Goodfellow’s hopes of joining him looked good after a 71 at Hillside on day one and when he birdied the fifth and 11th to go three under overall, he must have fancied his chances, but the next two holes halted the charge as he went double bogey, bogey.

Another shot went at 15 and, despite a birdie at 17, his level-par 144 was just outside what he needed. “It was tough and I played pretty well,” said the Carlisle pro. There was a second 76 for Michael Nesbit at Hillside and the damage was all done at just three holes with a double bogey at the 195-yard fourth and bogeys at nine and 10, but all the rest were pars.

George Cowan, his club colleague, plunged to a 78 on the same course with double bogeys at 10 and 13 ruining his day completely.

Seaton Carew’s James Harper also must have fancied his chances after a 73 on the first day at Southport and Ainsdale but he followed it with 76 yesterday and the Europro Tour event at Bristol on Friday is next on his agenda.

Chris Paisley’s hopes at Southport and Ainsdale disappeared in an untidy finish after a very promising start.

Paisley, a member of the Walker Cup squad, opened with birdies at the second and fourth and despite a bogey at five, picked up two more shots at the seventh and ninth to be three under at the turn. But the back nine proved to be disastrous with bogeys at 10 and 11 and then bogeys at the last four holes – not like Paisley at all – which meant a second successive 75.

South Moor’s Hugh MacDonald crashed to an 82 in a round he will want to forget for 161 at S and A while Eaglescliffe’s Ryan Riley had a no return after suffering from back problems.

Teesside’s Vince Guest looked to be making a run at it after his first round 73 with a level-par front nine but the notorious back nine at West Lancashire took its toll when he dropped eight shots in four holes with bogeys at 11 and 12, a double bogey at 13 and a quadruple bogey at 14. Somehow he managed to par 15, 16 and 18 and birdied 17 for 79 and a two-round total of 152.

Morpeth’s David Clark also had a nightmare run with six bogeys in seven holes on his way to a 79 for 153 and Kendal amateur James Atkinson shot 88 for 167 and, to show just how tough West Lancs is, the qualifiers were all over par.

SOUTHPORT AND AINSDALE

Qualifiers: 141 *T Sherreard (Chart Hills) 72 69, J Bevan (Wessex Golf Centre) 70 71; 143 G Boyd (unatt) 71 72, J Howarth (unatt) 70 73 (after a play-off).

Other North East and Cumbria players’ scores: 143 J Lupton (Middlesbrough) 71 72; 149 J Harper (Seaton Carew) 73 76; 150 *C Paisley (Stocksfield) 75 75; 161 H MacDonald (South Moor) 79 82; NR: R Riley (Eaglescliffe) 79 NR.

HILLSIDE

Qualifiers: 140 J Elson (Kenilworth) 67 73; 143 *C Wood (Long Ashton) 71 72, *R Blizard (Aus) 71 72, J Van der Velde (Fr) 70 73

Other North East and Cumbria players’ scores: 144 C Goodfellow (Carlisle DR) 71 73; 151 G Cowan (Westerhope) 73 78; 152 M Nesbit (Westerhope) 76 76.

WEST LANCASHIRE

Qualifiers: 142 P Walton (unatt) 72 70; 145 B Hume (unatt); 70 75; Lomas 75 72; 147 P Appleyard (Wildernesse) 72 75, J Lomas (unatt) 75 72..

Other North East and Cumbria players’ scores: 152 V Guest (Teesside) 73 79; 153 D Clark (Morpeth) 74 79; 167 *J Atkinson (Kendal) 79 88.

*denotes amateur.