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Eight Open Qualifying players were hit by controversy after officials’ mistake caused mayhem

Final Qualifying for The Open at Royal Portrush ran a lot smoother than it once did at Sunningdale.

Lee Westwood, Dean Burmester, Lucas Herbert and Harry Hall were among the 20 men to secure the final spots in the last men’s major of the year on Tuesday.

    A flag stuck in a steep slope caused balls to roll off in the 4th hole on the Old Course at SunningdaleGetty

    Everything you need to know about 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush

    Four venues across the UK hosted 36-hole events for Ryder Cup stars and LIV Golf players desperate to qualify for golf’s oldest major.

    Dundonald Links in Scotland joined English courses Burnham & Berrow, Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancashire in staging the all-important day.

    Sunningdale, meanwhile, is instead hosting the Senior Open Championship, having previously been a mainstay for the oldest leg in golf’s grand slam.

    And the Berkshire club’s Old Course ironically bore witness to one of the most farcical controversies in qualifying history back in 2007.

    During the first round at the 156-yard fourth hole, officials mistakenly placed the pin in a steep, sloping location.

    As a result, eight European Tour players endured major putting disasters as their balls rolled off the green.

    Ricardo Gonzalez five-putted, while Brett Rumford three-putted despite hitting his tee shot to two feet.

    Play was temporarily suspended while the hole was re-positioned, with Open Championship committee chairman Martin Kippax immediately confessing to the epic gaffe.

    Kippax said: “I admit it was a mistake and the responsibility lies on me and me only.

    “One option was to start again completely, but we are on a tight schedule with 36 holes in one day.”

    Officials made eight players replay the hole after the opening roundGetty Andersson Hed had a face like thunder as he was driven back to the 4thGetty

    It meant that at the end of their opening round, the affected eight players were buggied back to the fourth to play 19 holes rather than 18.

    However, this came as little comfort to irate Swede Fredrik Andersson Hed, who parred the hole in his first attempt before the stoppage.

    He then four-putted for a double bogey five after being forced to play to the new pin position to change his four-under-par 66 to a 68.

    “I think the European Tour should do the pins,” Andersson Hed said.

    “Every time I’ve played in an event run by the R&A, there have been one or two that were barely playable.”

    England’s Richard Bland was similarly fuming, having birdied the first time after being 18 inches from a hole-in-one.

    Andersson Hed double-bogeyed to change his four-under-par 66 to a 68Getty

    The now-LIV Golf star then took three on his do-over effort and went from a 72 to 73.

    Bland said: “It’s not rocket science not to put the flag where it was. Anything with a small bit of speed that didn’t go in was going to roll off the green, as I saw with Ricardo.

    “Because I’d made a two, I asked if I had to play it again and was told ‘Yes’.”

    Argentina’s Gonzalez couldn’t see what all the fuss was about – he parred on the second attempt to save a triple-bogey six.

    They call that one the Hand of Golf…

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