July 16, 2024

TOUR NEWS

England’s Sam Hutsby and Jack McDonald from Scotland will tee it up at Galgorm in the Black Desert NI Open presented by Tom McKibbin, fresh from experiencing their first taste of Major Championship golf, after both came through Final Qualifying for this week’s 152nd Open at Royal Troon.

Hutsby delivered an impressive 36-hole performance at Dundonald Links to punch his ticket to Royal Troon, carding just one bogey in rounds of 67-69 to finish eight under par, three strokes ahead of the field and tied for the lowest score across all four qualifying venues.

The 37-year-old, who won his second Challenge Tour title at last year’s Andalucía Challenge de Cádiz, currently sits 13th in the 2024 Road to Mallorca Rankings after making a fast start to the season.

Hutsby was a finalist at The Amateur Championship in 2009, the same year he represented Great Britain & Ireland in the Walker Cup.

After 15 years as a professional, he can now celebrate the hugely significant achievement of reaching a major for the first time.

“I’ve missed out by a shot twice, for The Open and the US Open,” he added. “It’s always been a childhood dream to play in a major.

“To be a British player competing in your home Championship, I couldn’t have dreamed of that. I was working in a golf shop two years ago but I’ve put an unbelievable amount of hard work in and this is reward for the sacrifices I’ve made.”

McDonald’s qualification for The Open was also secured at Dundonald Links, though the Scot needed a birdie in the first play-off hole to beat compatriot Daniel Young and Swede Tim Widing to the final spot.

The 31-year-old grew up a few miles from Royal Troon, plays at nearby Barassie, and will follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Gordan Cosh, who played the 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry and is an honorary member at Royal Troon.

“My papa is an honorary member at Royal Troon. Going back to when I was just a boy, about 12 or 13 years old, he would sign me on there,” said McDonald

“I remember playing in The Amateur Championship in 2012 at Royal Troon (when he made the semi-finals) and thinking, ‘how good would it be to play in an Open there?’ And I just can’t believe that is going to happen now.

“Getting into any Open is great. But, for me, even more so the fact it’s at 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.”

England’s Sam Hutsby and Scotland’s Jack McDonald will tee it up in this week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon before competing in the Black Desert NI Open at Galgorm. (Photo: Courtesy Getty Images)