9 big names who failed at Open Final Qualifying

Ian Poulter was one of nine big name players who fell at the Open Final Qualifying stage.

Major champions. PGA and DP World Tour winners. LIV Golf stars. Legends. They all teed up in Open Final Qualifying for the hope of earning a spot in the 153rd edition of golf’s oldest major…

But with only 20 spots available, some household names had to miss out at Open Final Qualifying.

We’ve counted nine.

Let’s dive in.

Big names who failed at Open Final Qualifying

In no particular order – except alphabetical – they are…

Peter Finch

The YouTube star came through Regional Qualifying at Caldy last week, but couldn’t continue his form at Dundonald, where two rounds of 75 saw him finish 10 shots off the pace in a tie for 44th.

Sam Horsfield

The Englishman made headlines just nine holes in when he was disqualified from Final Qualifying at West Lancs.

Graeme McDowell

The occasion got the better of Portrush native McDowell in 2019 when he finished in a tie for 57th, but he won’t get a chance to better it later this month after rounds of 70 and 73 at Royal Cinq Ports saw him three shots off the pace.

Adrian Meronk

The Pole has had an electric start to his LIV Golf season, but it’s been a tough few months of late and he retired at Dundonald after an opening-round 75.

Ian (and Luke) Poulter

Poulter Sr hasn’t played in The Open since joining LIV Golf in 2022, and he’ll have to wait a bit longer after finishing three shots off the pace at Cinq Ports. Poulter Jr looked good for a top-five finish after an opening 67, but he slumped to a 76 after lunch to finish on 1-under alongside his dad.

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David Puig

The Spaniard wasn’t far off nicking the final LIV Golf qualifying spot from his Fireballs teammate Sergio Garcia, and all looked well when he fired a course-record 64 at Royal Cinq Ports. Inexplicably, Puig came back after lunch and carded a 6-over 78 to drop to tied-9th. Golf, eh?

Erik van Rooyen

A three-time winner across the PGA and DP World Tours, the popular South African couldn’t build on his solid opening 70 and his second-round 72 saw him finish two shy of the top five at Royal Cinq Ports.

Harold Varner III

HV3 finished in a tie for 5th at LIV Golf Dallas on Sunday before catching the red eye to Lancashire. An opening 73 left him with an uphill task, and an afternoon 68 was a good effort, but ultimately well short.

Chris Wood

Talking of incredibly popular players, the Englishman burst onto the scene at Royal Birkdale in 2008 when he finished T5 as an amateur, before a T3 the following year at Turnberry in his first year as a pro. Wood, who has been struggling with “chronic anxiety” in recent years, came tied-7th at the Turkish Airlines Open in May – his first top 10 since 2018. Agonisingly, he finished in the same position at Burnham & Berrow, missing out on a spot in The Open by a couple of shots.

So who did go through?

You can see the full results from Open Final Qualifying right here.