McGinley makes grade at qualifying

Ryder Cup match-winner Paul McGinley was among the few who made the grade at today's Open championship qualifying competition at Sunningdale.

He hit back from an opening 70 with a 65 on the New Course to be eight under, three behind pacesetters Mark Foster and Paul Broadhurst.

Meanwhile, Justin Rose is thinking of pulling out of this week’s European Open after failing today to come through the Open championship qualifying competition at Sunningdale.

The 23-year-old was lying joint second at the midway point in the 36-hole event after an opening six under par 65 on the New Course, but when he switched to the adjoining Old he managed only a one over par 73.

“I’m gutted, to be honest,” he said afterwards.

The 120-strong star-studded field were competing for a mere 17 places at Royal Troon and the play-off, which included Colin Montgomerie, came on six under.

It continues a disappointing run for Rose just two months after he led the Masters for two rounds – and if he decides not to make the trip to the K Club near Dublin there will be just one place in the Open left available to him.

For that he would have to be the leading non-exempt player in next week’s Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

That route is still open to Ian Woosnam, Jose Maria Olazabal and Jesper Parnevik, who all missed out as well, but Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer will definitely miss his first Open since 1979.

The German returned only last week from two months out with a wrist injury, missed the cut in the French Open and has now decided to take another month-long break.

“I was playing great before the injury,” he commented, “but it’s almost like night and day. I just need to fight my way back.”

Rose, hoping to make his debut against the Americans in September, missed the halfway cut in the US Open two weeks ago and was also 15 over par in finishing well down the field in the French Open at the weekend.

“I’ll make a decision (about the European Open) tomorrow, but there’s no point going if you’ve got no chance to win and I’m hitting it terribly.

“It was in my hands and I’ve only got myself to blame really. I wish I knew what it was, but I seem to blow hot and cold.”

It was only last month that he was fourth in the Memorial Tournament in Ohio.

“I had a good spell of events, but the last couple have been unexplainable.” It was only in the last seven holes that it all went wrong, though.

From eight under he crashed to four under, triple-bogeying the 12th after driving into the trees and bogeying the next.

He made what he called “a brave effort” with birdies at the 15th and 16th, but three-putted the next and missed a 12-footer on the last.

Montgomerie felt he had not quite done enough when he missed from 10 feet at the 18th of the New Course.

The seven-time European number one said: “I think it’s one too many.”

But he then refused to discuss an earlier incident when he appeared to be upset by someone in the crowd.

It was only after a three-hour wait that he discovered he was in the play-off.

Parnevik, who has just rejoined the European tour to be eligible for the Ryder Cup, and Langer were left regretting that they did not take part in the American qualifier in Washington.

Incredibly, 53 of the 120 players pulled out there and unless they have a good reason for doing so they could be banned from next year’s Open.

Parnevik said: “I was kicking myself when I heard all the talk. I tried to change where I played, but couldn’t.

“Some of the guys were not playing the US Tour event up there and didn’t feel like going and a lot were fed up with the time it took to play the US Open qualifying and didn’t want to go through it again.”