Dream appearance teed up in The Open - local man secures spot at Royal Troon

Forty-seven years after his grandfather, Gordon Cosh, teed up in The Open in Ayrshire, Jack McDonald is set to follow in his footsteps after securing a dream appearance in the 152nd edition in dramatic fashion at Dundonald Links.

After holing a 25-footer for a birdie at his closing hole in one of four Final Qualifying events to get into a three-man play-off for the fourth and final spot up for grabs, the 31-year-old then holed from just under 20 feet for a birdie-3 at the first extra hole.

Fellow Scot Daniel Young had already missed from further away and it was mission accomplished for McDonald, who cut his golfing teeth at neighbouring Kilmarnock (Barassie), when Swede Tim Widing was unable to match the Scot from no more than 12 feet.

Local man Jack McDonald celebrates after winning a play-off in Final Qualifying for The Open at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire. Picture: Mark Runnacles/R&A/R&A via Getty Images.

McDonald was engulfed by a group of jubilant friends on the green and understandably so because, quite simply, it doesn’t get any better for an Ayrshireman to be teeing up in The Open at Royal Troon, as he’ll now be doing in a fortnight’s time.

His grandfather, a former Scottish champion and also a Walker Cup player, is an honorary member there and what a thrill it will be for McDonald to follow in his spikemarks in the world’s oldest major, even though Cosh made his appearance at Turnberry in 1997, when he missed the cut following rounds of 78-83.

“Going back to when I was just a boy about 12 or 13 years old, he would sign me on,” replied McDonald, who became just the third Scot to secure a spot in this year’s Claret Jug joust after joining Bob MacIntyre and amateur Calum Scott, to being asked when he’d first played golf at Royal Troon. “It’ll be amazing. I’ve been walking the dog next to the course along the beach and you can see all the grandstands. It’s going to be an amazing week.”

Cosh qualified for his appearance at Kilmarnock (Barassie) and McDonald, a three-time Tartan Pro Tour winner, added: “It’s so cool to make it. I can’t put this into words. I’ll be nervous, but we’ll wait and see. I don’t want to look too far ahead. I want to do well at it. I would love to put a couple of under-par scores in there. That’s why I’m a professional golfer, to play in these events. I’m delighted to get in, but it would be great to perform.”

After Englishman Sam Hutsby, Spaniard Angel Hidalgo and Irish amateur Liam Nolan had all secured their spots on day when hopefuls had to contend with all four seasons, it was McDonald who delivered the storyline that warmed most hearts among the fans out watching.

“Going into this I just had a feeling,” said the former Scottish amateur star, who played on the same Walker Cup team as Grant Forrest and Ewen Ferguson at Royal Lytham in 2015. “I remember playing in the British Am in 2012 at Royal Troon and I was like ‘how good would it be to play in an Open there?’ And I just can’t believe that is going to happen now. It’s amazing and hopefully I can go there and play some good golf.

“I’m going on holiday the next few days and I’ll come back from that and then go and play in The Open. I’ll just go and enjoy the holiday and see how the game is when I come back.”

McDonald faced an agonising hour’s wait in the clubhouse to see if he’d get into a play-off and Young, a fellow Challenge Tour player, almost stopped that from happening when he saw a birdie putt at his final hole slip past the edge.

“I holed a 25-footer on the last for a four to get to four-under,” said McDonald of adding a 69 to his opening 71. “I was delighted about that and obviously felt like I had done all I could in terms of getting into a play-off.

‘To be honest, I wasn’t thinking about it too much in terms of waiting around afterwards because I knew I had done all I could. But my wee brother Ross, ho was caddying for me, phoned me afterwards and told me we were in a play-off. I can’t believe I’ve holed that putt to win the play-off and get into The Open.

‘I’m going to St Andrews and then Paris for a few days with (girlfriend) Amy, so that’ll be nice. Getting into any Open Championship is great. But, for me, even more so the fact it’s at Troon. I didn’t think it would happen. Just having a chance to compete with the world’s best is all I’ve wanted.”

Hutsby, a 35-year-old from Portsmouth, dropped just one shot in signing for splendid scores of 67 and 69 to finish three shots ahead of both Hidalgo, who holed out for an eagle-2 at his closing hole, and Nolan. “I can’t say it was pretty golf today, but the scorecard doesn’t show that,” said Hutsby, who will be making his major debut. “It didn’t look like one bogey, that’s for sure. It was a real grind, to be honest.”

Elsewhere, former US Open and Olympic champion Justin Rose passed his test with flying colours at Burnham & Berrow in Somerset, sharing top spot with English amateur Dominic Clemons, the runaway winner in last month’s Scottish Men’s Open at Muirfield, on eight under par.

However, there was disappointment for Spaniard Sergio Garcia, who had played in every Open since 1998 until now missing the last two. Another English amateur, Matthew Dodd-Berry, shared top spot there with compatriot Sam Horsfield while Matthew Southgate won at Royal Cinque Ports as he came through this stage for the fifth time,

"I'm over the moon," said Southgate, a Carnosutie member. "That was a real test of links golf. It took a lot of patience, a lot of working out. It just reminds me of my dad. The Open is the absolute best, I can't wait. It just means everything."