Wilson sees Open Last-Chance as huge opportunity

As Andrew Wilson left Dundonald Links last Tuesday, his Open dreams were in tatters after he “messed up” the last few holes in Final Qualifying.

With five spots up for grabs in a 72-player field, Wilson finished in the dreaded sixth place, one place and one shot outside of winning a spot at Royal Birkdale.

In previous years, that would have been it, and the Darlington golfer would have been forced to live with a case of ‘what if’.

But on Monday, Wilson will tee it up at Birkdale as one of 12 players fighting for one final place in the field for The Open in the inaugural Last-Chance Qualifier.

The odds are against him, but the potential return is too big to ignore.

“When I messed up, I forgot all about this until I got an email about it,” Wilson told BBC Sport.

“I’ve got nothing to lose. I could qualify on Monday, and then have four decent rounds in the tournament, which could kick-start your season. Having an opportunity like this is awesome.”

What is the Last-Chance?

For the first time, The Open has introduced the Last-Chance Qualifier – an opportunity for 12 players to claim the last and final 156th spot in the game’s oldest major.

The field comprises a dozen players of Tour professionals and leading amateurs who have narrowly missed out in other qualifying events and exemption categories to grab that last ticket to The Open.

As the game’s superstars slowly start to roll into Royal Birkdale, these 12 will tee off from 07:30 BST on Monday on the actual links in four three-balls, playing an 18-hole strokeplay competition, with the winner then teeing it up in the tournament three days later.

The event will be televised and is one of a series of new features brought in by The R&A to enhance the spectator experience in the earlier part of Open week before the serious stuff gets under way.

It also includes the Heroes Classic on the Tuesday, headlined by world number one and defending champion Scottie Scheffler, in a Texas Scramble three-hole team format.

That event will also involve other leading professionals, Women’s Open Champion Miyu Yamashita, G4D Open Champion Brendan Lawlor and famous names from sport and entertainment as The R&A tries to build up the 154th staging of The Open into a week-long festival of golf.

The Last-Chance field

• Andrew Wilson (Eng)
• Wesley Bryan (US)
• Aldrich Potgieter (SA)
• Matti Schmid (Ger)
• Adri Arnaus (Spa)
• Joe Dean (Eng)
• Matt Moloney (Eng, a)
• Sam Easterbrook (Eng, a)
• John Gough (Eng)
• Angel Hidalgo (Spa)
• Charles Huntzinger (US)
• Frazer Jones (Eng, a)

Wilson will arrive at Royal Birkdale at the weekend and get the chance to practise on the course ahead of Monday’s qualifier when he will play it in full tournament conditions in a tantalising glimpse of what awaits.

The 32-year-old is trying to secure his spot in The Open for the second time, having played at Royal Portrush in 2019 when he finished in a creditable 32nd place.

“That was my first year as a pro, I had my best friend on the bag and I was a lot more naive,” he recalled.

“I was playing some great stuff and it was a great week. Now after being pro for a few years, you’re carrying more expectations. That can be both a blessing and a curse.”

After a disappointing 2025, Wilson dropped down from the DP World Tour to the HotelPlanner Tour, but life on Europe’s second-tier circuit has been a struggle for a player currently ranked 688th in the world.

He is languishing in 112th, so winning this qualifier would be a huge fillip for his year.

As well as the near-miss for The Open, he lost in a play-off at Walton Heath in US Open Final Qualifying in May, so he hopes his luck can change.

“Golf is quite fickle and your season can turn in the space of a few holes,” he said.

“My coach (John Harrison) is going to caddie for me on Monday and I want to focus on taking something positive from the day.

“If I finish second but play well, I can prove to myself that I can compete on a Championship golf course.”

‘Fiancée Lucy talked me into it’

With this being an 18-hole sprint, there is a large element of the unknown for Wilson.

One man could run away with it with a string of birdies, or it could become a dogfight between a few in the closing holes.

“When it’s five or six spots in a field of 72 over 36 holes, you know a ballpark figure of what’s needed,” he said.

“Here because it’s one spot, you could play yourself out of contention on the first hole.”

But if he does take his place in The Open alongside Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and the rest, there is no doubt who will deserve most credit – his fiancée Lucy.

“I’m good at making rash decisions and my first thought was to not go for this,” he added.

“But Lucy talked me into it. She just said, ‘Hang fire, think about it.’ That gave me a chance to recover.

“I’ve never played Birkdale before and I’m getting to play it twice. That’s awesome.”