BREAKING: Justin Rose drops F-bomb over Open Qualifying rival’s frustration, with threatening statement to officials
Justin Rose’s hopes of playing in The Open at Royal Troon are on the line at Burnham and Berrow Golf Club, but he showed his class when playing partner Chris Wood’s qualification hopes died
Justin Rose could not hide his devastation as playing partner Chris Wood suffered a bad break that derailed his bid to qualify for The Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Rose and Wood were both in contention for a place in the top four heading into their second rounds at Burnham and Berrow Golf Club in Somerset on Tuesday. Wood was the silver medalist at the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale, and finished tied third in his first year as a professional 12 months later at St Andrews.
The Bristol native has not played in his national open for five years but he was on track to end that streak until he reached the par-five eighth hole of his second loop. He flared his tee shot out to the right and dozens of spectators ran over to help search for his ball.
When Wood arrived to inform the search party he was looking for a Titlest 1, he was joined by playing partners Rose and South Africa’s Jovan Rebula. Rose took command of the situation, leading the search and shouting “You’re wasting your time over there, it’s in this channel here” to spectators looking in the wrong place.
Despite the efforts of fans doing all they could to help a local lad in his bid to return to the major stage, the search was to no avail, with numerous other balls found in the thick rough but not the one they were looking for.
Chris Wood’s bid to return to The Open for the first time in five years was ended by a brutal double bogey at the par-five eighth
Chris Wood’s bid to return to The Open for the first time in five years was ended by a brutal double bogey at the par-five eighth
Former US Open champion Rose showed his class and selflessness with his expression as the three minutes elapsed without Wood’s ball being found, with a referee ruling it lost. Rose muttered: “F*** sake,” clearly heartbroken for his countryman as his bid to return to golf’s grandest stage was derailed.
To compound matters, Wood’s provisional tee shot crept into a bunker and he had no choice but to chop out into the fairway. He needed to get up and down from long range to save a bogey and keep himself in with a chance, but he carded a double-bogey seven as his putt dribbled agonisingly past the cup.
The wind had been sucked from the three-time European Tour winner’s sails and bogeys followed at 11 and 14 as his hopes of being in the field at Royal Troon on July 18 died.
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Rose, however, is on track to book a place in Scotland later this month. After shooting a classy five-under in the opening round on Tuesday, he showed his mettle as the wind picked up in the afternoon. He is eight-under with three to play, set to finish in a tie for first with Cambridge amateur Dominic Clemons.
LIV Golf stars Abraham Ancer and Anirban Lahiri, meanwhile, are nervously waiting to hear their fate. They sit in a four-way tie for third and are hoping to be in a playoff this evening. But Sweden’s Charlie Lindh and South Africa’s Justin Walters are also at five-under and could sneak the final qualification places ahead of the LIV Golf duo with a strong finish.
