PGA Professional Matthew Ford is set to make his Major championship debut at the 150th Open at St Andrews after winning a Final Qualifying event at Prince’s Golf Club.
The 2020 PGA Professional Championship winner, who represents the CK Group, credited his mental strength for his success after finishing with a flourish to secure his place at the Home of Golf in July.
The 44-year-old topped the standings after 36 holes at the Kent venue, shooting rounds of 71 and 68 to finish two shots clear with a five-under total of 139.
But that score only told part of the story for Ford, who bounced back from a double bogey and two bogeys in four holes with two birdies and an eagle in his last six to surge up the leaderboard.
And Ford explained how delighted he was with the way he responded to that tricky spell around the turn to confirm his Major championship debut.
“I eagled eight to get five-under early in the second round and then I hit a couple of poor drives which ended up costing me four shots, so five-under to one-under middle of the round,” he said.
“To finish as I did, I’m obviously very happy and to make eagle and a couple of birdies as I did coming home was great. I showed some good mental strength and golf in the end.
“I’m obviously delighted as I’ve never played in The Open before. It’s going to be a massive thrill to play in front of that crowd. I’ll need to find some accommodation now! The family will come up and I’m so excited. I’m looking forward to a great week.”
Ford added: “As a kid I always dreamt of winning the Claret Jug, so trying to qualify is something I’ve tried for over 20 years but always come short by some of the tiniest margins. Because it means so much to me it makes it that bit harder as the emotions can be hard to play with. So to play well with the emotion means the world to me and my family. We are all so excited for St Andrews and a great opportunity.”
