Stephen Ames has shot 69 61, 130 on the par 70 Queens Course at Gleneagles just outside Dallas to qualify for this year's Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes. There were 8 spots available. Ames last played the Open in 2009 where he missed the cut. He has had 2 top 10's in 11 starts, his best T5 in 1997.
David Hearn, Adam Hadwin, Dustin Risdon and Roger Sloan also played but couldn't make the top eight
Leading the way was PGA Tour rookie Harris English, who shot a course best and International Final Qualifying-America record 60, then shot a 63 in his afternoon round. Other qualifiers were England's Greg Owen, who shot 66-61,127...American Justin Hicks (67-63-130) and Argentina's Andres Romero (67-63-130)..American James Driscoll (66-65-131) and Bob Estes (66-65.131), and Sweden's Daniel Chopra (64-67,131).
By the way, I think it is down right wrong for courses to take the name of a famous course in the UK and use it as their own. Gleneagles is a magnificent hotel/resort in the hills of Perthshire, Scotland and the Kings and Queens courses are of legendary status, all the world's greats have played and stayed there, it is currently the host of the European Tour's Johnnie Walker Championship.
So what right do these guys down in Dallas have to steal that name and use it as their own ?? It is for no other reason than to sell memberships or greens fees and of course to give validity to their facility.
Similarly there are courses called St Andrews in North America, hell Jack even named his own course Muirfield and while I am at it quit calling your track a links course unless it is situated on a stretch of land, usually flat and sandy, that links the sea to the mainland. Pebble Beach Golf Links is arguably America's greatest public course, but is not a links course. It is a course on the California mainland, situated partially along the Pacific Ocean, but the land does not link that ocean to the mainland, like Muirfield, Royal Lytham, etal do.
There, now I feel better as I turn my attention to one of the world's great parkland courses, the West at Wentworth for this week's biggie, the BMW PGA Championship.
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles and at www.isr1050.com
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