Gonzalo Fernández Castaño was not able to secure a spot in the British Open through the qualifying round held in the St. Annes Old Links course where he finished in 19th place, pretty far from the top three who would earn a golden ticket to Carnoustie in two weeks.
It’s a very tough qualifier, held over the course of two rounds in one (36 holes) with 72 golfers all fighting for just three spots, although the golfer from Madrid finished with a more than acceptable score on the test.
And so, with almost no down time in between, Gonzalo set off for Ireland, specifically to the Ballyliffin Golf Club in Northern Ireland where the Irish Open will be held this week, another Rolex Series tournament, the fourth one the Spanish golfer has participated in this year, and it's also played on a links-style course just like the British Open. Thus, the qualifying round served as good practice with this style play, although the French Golf National where the French Open was held last week was also a links-style course.
Gonzalo will play on Thursday with Indian golfer Chawrasia and South African golfer George Coetzee in the afternoon (at 3:10 pm Spanish time), and it seems as though the playing conditions will be good, with very little rain throughout the week and a wind which, while making its presence known, will not be too harsh on the golfers.
