From conservatory fitter to Open Championship competitor.
If Rory McIlroy or Jordan Spieth need a new porch for the east wing of their shimmering mansions then they can always give Mark Young a call. The 33-year-old from Longridge near Preston will be lining up alongside the world's top two players at St Andrews in a fortnight's time after negotiating his way through the 36-hole final qualifier at Gailes Links in Ayrshire. These two round shoot-outs always throw up a tale of the unexpected.
Rounds of 68 and 70 for a four-under aggregate of 138 ensured that Young would seize one of the three Open spots up for grabs, ahead of Liverpool amateur Paul Kinnear and New Zealander Ryan Fox, who both emerged from a three-way play-off to plunder the remaining two tee-times.
As the Lancashire lad Young quenched an excited drooth with a few celebratory gargles on the clubhouse terrace, the Scottish trio of Scott Henry, Jamie McLeary and Ewen Ferguson were left reflecting on what might have been as they all missed out on a play-off for the final qualifying spot by a single shot.
Young won't care about that, of course. This time last year, he was rattling and clattering away on those aforementioned house extensions to help fund his amateur career. By November, he was "fed up" with the unpaid game so decided to take the professional plunge. "It was a case of now or never given my age," said this late bloomer, who still has no playing category for any of the pro circuits. The road to Open is long, arduous and full of pitfalls and Young's qualifying bid almost took a damaging detour when he hoiked his drive on the 14th hole of his second round onto a tarmac path. "When I hit it, I thought 'I'll never see that again'," he said. The golfing gods smiled on him and having dunted a 9-iron back on to the fairway, he flighted an 8-iron into six-feet and holed the putt for an unlikely, and vital, birdie. "It was probably the luckiest tee-shot of my career," he added. "I've tried Open qualifying three or four times but to get through to one at St Andrews really is a dream come true. There's no better place for it."
Kinnear, a 21-year-old member of Formby, has been in fine golfing fettle of late and was third in the Brabazon Trophy before winning the Open's regional qualifier at West Lancashire last week. A brace of 70s put him in play-off with Fox and Rhys Davies and he confirmed his St Andrews berth with a birdie on the first hole. "I played the Old Course in the St Andrews Links Trophy recently and all the stands were up," he said. "I was imagining what it would be like going there when they are full."
Fox, a 28-year-old with two wins on the Australasian PGA Tour to his name, is the son of New Zealand's 1987 rugby World Cup-winning stand-off, Grant Fox. A chip off the old block? Not quite. The oval ball game was always going to take a back seat to this dimpled ba' pursuit. "Golf is much easier on the body and back in school rugby the other players would always say 'let's smash Foxy's kid'," said a smiling Fox, who was having his first taste of links golf yesterday and is now heading for the game's cradle in Fife.
The Scots contingent were left reflecting on what might have been. Ferguson, the Bearsden amateur, saw his raking birdie putt on the 18th just burn the hole as he came up a shot shy of the play-off after a 72 and a 69. Henry was left cursing a bogey on the last in a 73 which scuppered his bid while McLeary, who won the Gailes qualifier last year, came with a late charge but his 68 fell short of the line.
Elsewhere around the four qualifying venues, Colin Montgomerie's 5000 mile dash from California to Woburn went unrewarded as he finished four shots out of the qualifying mark. As it stands, there are only four players from the home of golf - Paul Lawrie, Marc Warren, Sandy Lyle and Stephen Gallacher - on the Open starting sheet.
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