Colin Montgomerie travelled close to 3,500 miles from the States and then blamed slow play for missing out on qualifying for The Open later this month.
Monty had driven from Pittsburgh, where he had finished ninth in Sunday’s seniors debut in the Players Seniors championship, to Newark Airport in New Jersey and a trans Atlantic flight home to Scotland.
He arrived late on Monday and then after a few hours rest Monty teed up at the Gullane No. 1 course, to the east of Edinburgh, and seeking to secure one of the three spots into golf’s oldest Major starting on July 18th at nearby Muirfield.
Monty was tied second after the opening round with a 69 but then got caught up in the snail-like pace of play to shoot a disappointing 76 in the wet and miserable conditions.
A big gallery lends support to Colin Montgomerie at Gullane No. 1 (Photo – www.randa.org)
“The pace of play was shocking but that’s not the reason why I didn’t qualify. I was five-under through 12 holes this morning and threw it away. I played very poorly this afternoon,” said the Scot.
Monty will now take a week and return to the States next week for the US Senior Open in Omaha, Nebraska.
It will mean missing the Scottish Open the same week and the first time Monty will not tee up in his national Open since his Scottish Open debut in 1987.
The eight-time European No. 1 was looking to tee up in his first Open Championship in three years.
Devon 19-year old amateur Jimmy Mullen finished the leading qualifier at North Berwick and one of the other three courses hosting the qualifier.
It was Mullen’s first attempt at qualifying and he teed up having finished fifth in last weekend’s prestigious Brabrazon Trophy event.
“I’m just thrilled to be playing in The Open and really looking forward to Muirfield,” said Mullen.
“I’m still pinching myself how well I played today in the conditions.
“Now that I’m heading to Muirfield maybe I can have a Justin Rose moment when Justin finished the leading amateur in the 1998 Open.”
Kent’s Steven Tiley finished the leading qualifier by three shots at Musselburgh and posted the best score of all 288 competitors qualifying with a nine under par tally.
Tiley, 30 had first carded a 64 and then cruised into his fourth Open with a roller-coaster second round 69 that included six birdies and four bogeys over his second round.
Tiley ended the two rounds Scotland’s Lloyd Saltman and Harleyford’s Tyrrell Hatton with all three qualifiers colleagues on the secondary Challenge Tour.
It is the fourth time the 30-year old Canterbury-born Tiley will compete in golf’s oldest major after qualifying in 2004, 2010 and last year.
“I’ve never played Muirfield so it’s nice to know that I’m into The Open and for me it’s easily the best tournament in the world,” he said.
“I’ve grown up playing links golf and it was just good to give myself a great chance with that 64 this morning and then this afternoon I started with birdies at the first two holes.
“I dropped a few shots this afternoon but really doing anything too silly, and it was all just a matter of staying alive.
“I’m competing in a Challenge Tour event in Switzerland next week and it’s going to be nice knowing my next event after that will be The Open.”
But missing out by a shot for a first-ever Open was part-time Workington dairy farmer, William Bowe.
Bowe, 26 signed for a pair of 69s for a 6-under par tally but only after having to take pain-killing tablets after injuring his back when he bent over a putt on the second hole of his opening round.
Bowe’s father runs a 200-cow dairy farm and has a similar number of cattle on the outskirts of Workington and his son looked all set to follow in his father’s footsteps until golf started to take a strange hold.
He won the 2001 and 2006 Cumbria Stroke-Play Championship and this year won the Cumbria Stroke-Play title for a fourth time along with capturing the Northern Counties individual championship.
