WHEN it comes to qualifying for the Open Championship, no effort is
too great. For Shane O'Grady, food poisoning and an inability to play a
practice round, could not shake his resolve as he cleared the Scottish
Regional Qualifying hurdle with a round of 68 at Lanark.
O'Grady, an assistant at Royal Dublin, spent the best part of the
weekend in bed because of a upset stomach. Although weak, he still
appeared on the tee yesterday, dismissing any notion of withdrawing. And
from there on it was plain sailing.
He shot five birdies in six holes from the eighth, and a bogey at the
last barely registered after his recent miseries.
Whereas the majority of the others departed the par-70 course berating
a wind and glassy greens, O'Grady could not have been more
complementary. ''I like the wind,'' he claimed. ''It suits me fine and
the greens were some of the fastest I've played all year.''
Another player who performed well was Niall McGill, a lesser known
assistant at Perth's King James VI. He watched with joy as five birdie
putts, ranging from 12 to 30 feet, dropped on the outward journey.
''I've not putted that well since I was 15,'' said McGill, whose best
performance to date was an eighth in last season's Kilspindie Autumn
Classic. Nerves took their toll in the latter stages, although pitch and
putt saves at three of the last four holes ensured his first place in
final qualifying on 69.
Tied on 69 was Drumpellier's Ken Hutton, with Garry Jack of Carnoustie
signing off his amateur days with a level-par 70.
An official member of the professional ranks from tomorrow, the former
Scottish youth internationalist dropped three strokes in the first three
holes, but bounced back, holing from 50ft at the fifteenth for one of
four birdies. Qualifiers (*denotes amateur):
68 -- S O'Grady (Royal Dublin). 69 -- N McGill (King James VI), K
Hutton (Drumpellier). 70 -- * G Jack (Carnoustie). 71 -- S Thompson
(Gleddoch), I Taylor (The Caddyshack), J Semple (Helensburgh). 72 -- S
Strachan (Bathgate), B Dunbar (Easter Moffat), R Forrest (West Linton),
* D Blair (Bothwell Castle), K Campbell (Machrihanish), S Craig
(Dunfermline), S McGregor (Glasgow). 73 -- B Davidson (Kings Links), F
Mann (Carnoustie Golf Centre).
Elsewhere, George Ryall shot seven birdies in a round of 67 to head
the qualifiers at Blackwell, while David Fisher carded a round of 68 to
lead at South Herts.
Australian Michael Cahill gave his holiday in the UK a lift by
qualifying at North Hants. Cahill, who finished tenth in the Open behind
Jack Nicklaus in 1978, shot a round of 68, one stroke behind amateur
Jonathan Wilshire, who carded four birdies in his round.
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