By Gareth James
Oliver Farr – the only Welshman to qualify for The Open this year – will begin his quest at 10.42 on Thursday morning at Hoylake when he tees off alongside England’s Dan Bradbury and Australian Haydn Barron.
Farr, who currently plays on the Challenge Tour, was the only Welsh player to make it through qualifying after Jamie Donaldson, Stuart Manley and Rhys Enoch all fell short.
The 35-year-old Farr has qualified for his second successive Open having made his debut at St Andrews in 2022.
His only other major appearance came at the 2015 US Open.
There are Challenge Tour points on offer at the Open, where Oliver Farr will hope to improve on his six-over-par finish at St Andrews last year 🏴⛳#BBCGolf
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) July 19, 2023
“It’s great to qualify in back-to-back years,” said the 35-year-old.
Farr reached the 150th staging of The Open at St Andrews last year, but shot rounds of 76 and 74 to miss the cut.
And after his strong performance in qualifying, as well as last year’s experience under his belt, he hopes to be able to enjoy the tournament more this year.
“I played better than I scored at St Andrews last year and hopefully I can learn from that and do the things I did to play well, while maybe trying to enjoy the experience a bit more,” added Farr.
“I was a bit too result-focused last year, this time I just want to enjoy it.
“Last year I think I was the last tee time. It is a tricky one but it is what it is.
“You know when you qualify you are either going to get a really early or really late time.
“That’s fine. You can still play well from any tee time.”
Bob headed out earlier this morning for his first practice round at Hoylake with Oliver Farr, Jordan Smith & Seamus Power. pic.twitter.com/LRsHl8Fkdj
— Bob MacIntyre Tracker (@tracker_robert) July 18, 2023
Tommy Fleetwood will be on familiar territory at Hoylake as he bids to become the first Englishman to win the tournament since Nick Faldo in 1992.
Fleetwood was born in Southport, around 30 miles north of Royal Liverpool, and the world number 21 would be a popular champion after a couple of near-misses.
“It’s nice to have a week that feels so close to home,” Fleetwood told reporters on Wednesday. “Course is great. It’s changed a lot since the last Open (in 2014).”
The 32-year-old finished second in the 2019 Open at Portrush and tied fourth 12 months ago at St Andrews.
“As soon as the week starts you start sort of feeling The Open atmosphere, which you always think is very, very cool,” Fleetwood said.
“I’ve imagined winning it about a million times probably. Winning a major is a dream, winning The Open is a huge, huge dream. Having the opportunity to do it so close to where you grew up is something that’s very unique and very special.”
Upgame Clients – Oliver Farr, Marco Penge, Matt Wallace, Tiger Christensen, and Connor McKinney qualify for The Open Championship!#theopen pic.twitter.com/zDdsQ7zKiR
— Upgame (@upgameapp) July 7, 2023
Fleetwood will play the first two rounds at Hoylake with American world number one Scottie Scheffler and Australian Adam Scott, both former Masters champions.
“I get on with both guys very, very well. I enjoy being around them. I enjoy playing golf with them. It’s a really nice three-ball for me,” he said.
“I was very happy with the guys that I’m playing with. Great golfers, both very good at winning tournaments,” Fleetwood added.
“It’s always good to be around those people that are at the top of the game and make sure you’re always trying to keep pace with them.”