Glaswegian Chris Doak declared competing in next month's US Open will be the biggest moment of his career after qualifying yesterday at Walton Heath.
Doak had to play four extra holes before a par meant the 35-year old qualifies to now join fellow Scots Paul Lawrie and Martin Laird in the year's second major commencing on June 13 at the Merion Club in Pennsylvania.
In fact, Doak was sunning himself on the lawn at the famed Surrey course when he got word he and the five other players on three under par would be involved in a play-off for five spots. Doak carded a score of 71 firstly on the "harder" Old Course and then an afternoon 70 on the "easier" New Course.
Three of the six – Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal and the England pair of John Parry and David Howell – birdied the first to qualify.
It then left three others in Doak, Argentina's Tanyo Goya and Sweden's Rikard Karlberg to fight out two spots and it was Karlberg who dropped out at the fourth extra play-off hole with a bogey.
"I'm delighted. As a kid you sort of imagine playing in a US Open, but this will be the biggest moment so far of my career," Doak said.
"I never had any expectations coming here. I have a head cold, and I was thinking of not playing today as I was also tired from Maderia and last week playing at Wentworth.
"It's been a long stretch of four weeks but my fiancée, Laura Butterworth, and my caddy, Graham Forbes were driving me along today and I have to thank them. I've got the golden ticket now." It will be Doak's first major championship for a player whose highest pay cheque was £27,827 in finishing sixth in last year's Lyoness Open in Austria.
Doak is leaving this morning for this week's Nordea Masters in Sweden then will have a week off before his major debut.
England's Simon Khan made amends for his four-hole BMW PGA Championship play-off loss in finishing the leading qualifier by a shot on seven under par.
Fellow Englishman and triple Ryder Cup player Paul Casey tied in second place on six under par.
The earlier windy conditions played havoc with the strongest field among the 13 venues the USGA hosts for US Open qualifying, with 24 players, including Scott Jamieson, not returning after a 75.
Aberdeen's Richie Ramsay failed to finish his first round, complaining of a left thigh injury and played the closing six holes as a "passenger" to Khan and without hitting a shot.
Despite the injury, Ramsay will still head to Sweden for this week's Nordea Masters.
"I wanted to qualify but I started to feel it with another 27 holes to play and it wasn't worth the risk," said Ramsey. "I'm still going to Sweden. I think I need some physio and a few good stretches."
Other Scottish scores. D Drysdale (71 & 73), M Warren (71 & 74), C Montgomerie (71 & 78), S Henry (74 & 78)
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