Golf: Alker to play British Open

Steven Alker. Photo / Simon Baker

New Zealand will have a player at the Open Championship for the first time since 2009.

Hamilton professional Steve Alker has won the qualifying tournament in West Lancashire with rounds of 69 and 68 to finish on seven under par, and win by two shots from a group of four players.

The top three players in the tournament qualified to play the oldest tournament in golf at Royal Lytham & St Annes - the venue where Bob Charles won his only major title from American Phil Rodgers in 1963.

American Scott Pinckney (75, 64) and England's Steven O'Hara (70, 69) were the other two professionals to secure a spot in the year's third major.

The 40-year-old Alker came fast out of the blocks with five birdies in the opening seven holes to get to five under for the day. He bogeyed the ninth before adding further birdies on 10 and 12.

He dropped shots on the 15th and the 18th but it didn't matter as Alker was home to secure his third start in a major championship after playing in the Open Championship in 1998 and 2007 where he missed the cut on both occasions.

Alker's last tournament victory came in 2009 when he won the New Zealand PGA Championship at Clearwater in Christchurch. He has been playing on the web.com tour (formerly Nationwide Tour) where his best finish was a tie for fourth at the Chile Classic, and he is currently 63rd on the money list.

Wellington professional Mark Brown was also in qualifying in West Lancashire. He carded rounds of 72 and 71 to finish on a one under par total in a share of 10th place, and missed out on the playoff by four shots.

Michael Campbell, whose best result at The Open is a tie for third in 1995, had rounds of 71 and 73 to finish on an even par total and in a share of 16th place.