Irish international amateur Liam Nolan has qualified for this month's Open Championship at Royal Troon after finishing tied-second at the 36-hole qualifying event at the Dundonald Links.
The Walker Cup star carded rounds of 69 and 70 to finish on five-under par, holing a nerveless five-foot par save on 18 to avoid a four-way play-off for the final two qualifying spots.
"It's going to be crazy," said Nolan. "I feel like I’ve had a very good amateur career but this a nice one to tick off, playing in my first major.
"It’s hard to process the fact that I’m going to the Open. I’m looking forward to everything - the crowds, it being in Scotland, the Home of Golf, and, yeah, I just can’t wait to go."
The final qualifying events for the Open took place at four venues this afternoon - Dundonald Links, Burnham and Berrow, Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancashire - with four qualification spots on offer at each venue.
Nolan, of Galway Golf Club, was the only Irish player to qualify this afternoon, with 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell finishing tied-19th at Royal Cinque Ports.
2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia fell short at West Lancashire, finishing tied-sixth, during which he was given a warning for slow play. Ireland's Liam Grehan placed tied-10th at the same venue after carding a two-under-par score over 36 holes.
However, Justin Rose booked his spot at Troon, the Ryder Cup stalwart currently tied-first on eight-under par at Burnham and Berrow.
The 2013 US Open champion said afterwards: "The Open's been a bit of a fairytale and love story for me since I was 14 and I qualified at Scotscraig.
"Sometimes you take it for granted – you’re exempt, you turn up and play for many years – but as you get older things get a little harder so in some ways it’s good to have to qualify because it makes you appreciate how special it is."
Two-time Irish PGA champion Niall Kearney finished tied-eight at Burnham and Berrow, posting a two-under par score, just strokes shy of qualification.
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