Final Qualifying for the Open Championship is not for everyone – just ask this DP World Tour pro…
It’s heralded by many as one of the great days in the golfing calendar. A heady cocktail of amateurs, teaching professionals, seasoned champions and toiling tour stars fighting across four venerable links courses with one shared dream: to snaffle one of the 20 spots available into golf’s oldest major.
But Open Final Qualifying, it seems, isn’t for everyone.
While Dustin Johnson has snapped a 17-year Open streak by withdrawing from his own qualifier at Dundonald Links for, presumably, logistical reasons, others have different explanations why the 36-hole qualifier – also played at West Lancs, Royal Cinque Ports and Burnham & Berrow – is an unpreferred route into Birkdale.
Among those to forego their chance at teeing it up in Southport next month is Ugo Coussaud. The 33-year-old Frenchman made his major debut at the US Open this month after squeezing through a sectional qualifier at Walton Heath, but won’t be heading to one of the four Open Final Qualifying venues this week.
“I wish I would play The Open, honestly, because for me it’s the best major,” Coussard tells TG. “But, f***, in those conditions, man, I don’t think I would play Final Qualifying this year. They put that qualifying day in the middle of the week [of a] DP World Tour [event], so it’s not easy for us to schedule.”
Indeed, Open Final Qualifying day – June 30 – is sandwiched on the Tuesday between the Italian Open and the BMW International Open in Munich. For many, it is a mad dash that will jeopardize tournament chances, albeit for a golden shot at competing in The Open. The resurgent former Ryder Cup player Chris Wood has told TG he will be flying in and out from his back-to-back HotelPlanner Tour events in France to tee it up at Burnham & Burrow and attempt to play in his first Open since 2019.
It is not just the potential travel nightmare that puts off Coussaud, however. It’s the complexion of the qualifying day itself.
“It’s not very fair,” he says. “We play with amateurs, local pros. I played two years ago, honestly. I thought it was rubbish. I think The Open want it that way. I played with a local pro. The guy told me straight away, ‘This is my Open today.’ So you’re supposed to play 36 with that guy? Whatever he shoots, he’s going to be there for 36. So it’s hard to be properly competitive if you feel like the guy is so excited.
“We all need to be in a bubble to be able to play a good round, especially when you want to qualify. There are not many spots. I think The Open makes it that way. They want stories and they already have the best players. I don’t know what their politics are, but I don’t think it’s fair. So I’m not a huge fan of that one.”
He continued: “At least at Walton Heath, It’s a two-ball. You play a round of golf in three hours 15 with a professional. There are only good players over there. If they play s***, they leave.
“Some players love playing on links because you only play links for the qualifier. Those are already very tricky courses. You need to know them very well. You come from Italy, which is normally the complete opposite of links. And then you go back to Munich which is completely opposite. It’s a very hard adapting day and you need to be very, very, lucky on the draw. They do draws as well with stars. Sometimes, you play with LIV guys or winners or you end up with playing with a local pro and it’s not fair. I don’t feel it’s very good. It’s already hard enough, you know?”
Few would argue that Open Final Qualifying sits among the game’s most gruelling days, requiring extraordinary patience and nerve. That is why so many are desperate to ensure their spot into the final major of the season to avoid the drama, while others – like Coussaud – give it a swerve.
But for many hopefuls and admirers from afar, it is also the essence of what makes the Open Championship so special. Certainly, there is never a shortage of stirring stories. Two years ago, the former world No.1 Justin Rose pitched up at Burnham & Burrow and made it through the hard way, before almost becoming the first qualifier to hoist the Claret Jug in 25 years at Royal Troon.
This year, Sergio Garcia is leading the charge against Father Time as he aims to make it third time lucky in his bid to qualify at West Lancs. Several major champions and Ryder Cup stars will surround the Spaniard in a bid for one of those coveted Open spots, while others will wonder what might have been.