Grant Forrest, Richard Mansell and Brandon Robinson-Thompson shared medallist honours as they secured their places at next month’s U.S. Open in Final Qualifying at Walton Heath.
The trio shared top spot on ten under par after 36 holes at the famed Surrey venue, with each competitor playing one round on each of the Old and New Courses. Nine places were available for the third men’s Major Championship of the year.
Robinson-Thompson was the first of the those to reach ten under par and will make his U.S. Open debut at Pinehurst, less than a year after playing in his first Major Championship at The 151st Open at Hoylake.
The Englishman, who is now based in the United States and previously lived in South Carolina, followed up his first round 68 with a six under par 66. He was then joined on ten under par by compatriot Richard Mansell, who made his U.S. Open debut in 2022, and Scotland’s Forrest, who will be playing in his first U.S. Open.
Robert Rock, who stepped back from playing on the DP World Tour after the 2022 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, made a remarkable comeback as he carded rounds of 69-66 to finish on nine under par. He was joined on that number by Sam Bairstow, who holed a nervy seven-footer for par on the 36th hole to sign for rounds of 68-67, avoiding the prospect of a play-off.
Also securing their spots for the 2024 U.S. Open were the Italian pair of Matteo Manassero and Edoardo Molinari, Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin and Australian Jason Scrivener, who all faced a nervous wait after reaching eight under par with a number of groups still to finish.
A play-off was eventually required to decide the two alternate spots available. Five competitors finished on seven under par, with Casey Jarvis and Andrea Pavan earning the alternate spots after four extra holes.
