Open hopefuls keen to avoid knock-out blow

The son of a former world boxing champion and two professionals from Ghana are among the players who are 36 holes away from playing in the British Open following yesterday’s 16 regional qualifying competitions.

John Conteh’s 26-year-old son James, attached to the Moor Park club in Hertfordshire, won the event at Hadley Wood in north London and hopes to make it third time lucky at the final qualifying in Scotland on Saturday and Sunday.