Marc Warren ended a seven-year major championship drought to muscle his way into next week’s 151st Open Championship
Warren, 42, produced a closing round 68 to secure a share of fourth in the Made in Denmark and with his effort good enough to grab the second of three tee-times into Royal Liverpool.
The Glaswegian has not contested any of the four majors since missing the halfway cut in the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Warren made his Open Championship debut three years earlier at the 2013 Open at Muirfield and played the next three Open’s with a T39th finish in 2014 at Royal Liverpool and a T40th a year later in St. Andrews.
Now Warren, and currently ranked No. 443 in the world, will join fellow Scots Ewen Ferguson, Robert MacIntyre, Richei Ramsay, Connor Syme, Michael Steward and Graeme Robertson in golf’s oldest major.
Warren said: “It’s unbelieveable
“It was going to be five or six weeks off, as I’m not in the Scottish Open, and I knew coming into this that it was ‘Last Chance Saloon’.
“So the main thing going out today was to try and qualify for The Open – that’s what I was trying to keep in my head more than anything else.
“I think it’s a great achievement as I’ve not had many great results recently, so to pluck one out of the bag and take one of the last spots for The Open is amazing.”
And Warren revealed a message he received from Bounce Sports manager, Iain Stoddard, ahead of teeing-off in his final Danish round.
Marc Warren ends a 7-years major championship absence qualifying for the 151st Open
Warren said: “Stoddy messaged me last night was ‘give me a problem to get digs in two weeks time’, so hopefully he’s under pressure now!”
Warren’s closing round was a mix a bogey on four but birdies on five, 10 and the 15th, and with MacIntyre sharing fourth place with MacIntyre, who horribly let slip a third Tour win after wildly ‘hooking’ his drive off the 14th, and while leading at the time by two shots, into deep round.
The Oban lefty then sought to find the fairway but only buried his ball deeper in the round. He was then forced to take an ‘unplayable’ penalty on route to a triple-bogey ‘7’.
To make matters worst he bogeyed 16 to finish with a one-over 71.
And Ramsay blew his chance of success leading by a shot down the last only but then sent his second shot into at edge of a closing green water hazard, and finishing with a very hurtful double-bogey ‘6’.
Overwheming crowd favourite Rasmus Hogjaard came from seven shots back in signing for a closing 64 before being joined on 13-under by Spaniard Nacho Elvira to send the event into a play-off, and with the Dane winning on home soil at the sixth extra play-off hole Elvira doubled 18.
“I’m speechless at the moment,” Højgaard said afterwards. “To be fair, I didn’t think I’d end up in a play-off – it’s quite amazing. To win a home event, it’s amazing.
“It isn’t that long ago that I was one of those kids trying to get balls and signed gloves, so it’s cool to see them out here supporting us.
“This is better than I could ever dream of. We’ve wanted a Danish winner for so long now, so to be the first one to do it is amazing.”
It was Højgaard’s fourth DP World Tour win and extended his perfect record in play-offs, having won the 2019 AFRASIA BANK Mauritius Open and the following year’s ISPS HANDA UK Championship in the same manner.
