Craig Howie cards course-record 61 in quest to tee up in The Open
Peebles player produces one of day’s eye-catching efforts at 16 venues for Regional Qualifying
Craig Howie shot the lights out for the second time this year to progress in style through Final Qualifying for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale.
Producing one of the best performances at any of the 16 venues around the UK and Ireland, the Peebles man shot a course-record ten-under-par 61 at Craigielaw.
The stunning effort, which secured top spot at the East Lothian venue, came on the back of him also carding a 63 at Royal Dornoch earlier in the year en route to a Tartan Pro Tour triumph there.
Howie’s closest challengers at Craigielaw were two amateurs - Kirkhill’s James Steven and Swede Erik Johansson - as they posted matching 64s.
Other qualifiers there were Dubai-based Jackson Bell, Jordan Sundborg (Royal Burgess), Old Ranfurly’s Aidan O’Hagan and Christopher Edge (Bruntsfield Links).
Flying the flag for Criaigielaw, brothers Oli, Sam and Cameron Mukherjee all came up just short.
In the other Regional Qualifier held in Scotland, John Vogelpohl, an American who is attached to Gleneagles, led the way at Kilmarnock (Barassie) thanks to a seven-under-par 65.
Vogelpohl, who has been in fine form recently on the Tartan Pro Tour, finished just ahead of experienced campaigner Craig Lee on 66 then Graeme Robertson and Sam Locke, the Silver Medal winner at Carnoustie in 2018, on 67.
Robbie Morrison and Jack Broun both made it through in a play-off while the final spot went to Englishman Mark Young in a play-off involving four players to finish on three under.
Local man Michael Stewart, who played in The Open at Hoylake in 2023, missed out there, as did former tennis professional Colin Fleming.
Meanwhile, Welsh player Gracie Mayo delivered the best performance of the day at Muirfield in the first of two stroke-play qualifying rounds in The R&A Amateur Championship.
In the event’s first staging at the venerable East Lothian course, Mayo shot six-under 65. She dirdied the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 9th to be out in 31.
Another birdied went on the card at the tenth before a sole dropped shot at the par-3 16th before getting that back straight away at the long 17th.
She leads by one from French player Vairana Heck, with defending champion Paula Martin Sampedro one of two players on two under.
In a battle to be in the top 64 for the match-play phase, US Curtis Cup star Farah O’Keefe opened with a par-71, one better than Carly McDonald, winner of The R&A Girls’ Under-16 Championship earlier this year.
Melrose’s Sheridan Clancy carded a 73, Jen Saxton signed for a 74 while Stella Walters, one of the youngest players in the field, struggled to an 85.
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