THE player who just managed to break 100 in an Open qualifier at Musselburgh had Maurice Flitcroft written all over him from the off, it was claimed today.
John Spreadborough, who claims to be a professional and entered golf's oldest Major out of the Brucefields Golf Centre in Stirling, slumped to an embarrassing 99 to evoke memories of the notorious Flitcroft.
The crane operator from Barrow-in-Furne
ss, Flitcroft was a hacker who spectacularly gatecrashed The Open, carding a score of 121 – 49-over and the worst in the event's history – in the 1976 qualifiers at Formby.
He also entered competitions, including The Open again, under the pseudonyms, Gene Paceky (as in pay cheque), Gerald Hoppy and James Beau Jolley.
Flitcroft's antics led the R&A to tighten up their entry procedure but it appears that Spreadborough, a 44-year-old who had been teaching in Austria before moving to Scotland, might have slipped through the net.
His nightmare round – it amounted to 28-over-par – at Monktonhall included a 13 at the seventh and an 11 at the 12th. His first par of the day came at the 16th and he followed that with two more to avoid an even bigger embarrassment.
"As soon as I saw him on the first tee, I turned to someone and said, 'it is Maurice Flitcroft back playing'," said a Musselburgh official, who asked not to be named.
"The way he swung the club made me very suspicious."
At the seventh, Spreadborough lost three balls off the tee, while he had all sorts of problems in a bunker at the 11th.
"He must have been pretty wild to lose three balls at the seventh as there were spotters out there," added the official. "In fact, I'd be surprised if one our members did that!" According to R&A official Nigel Watt, no action was taken against Spreadborough during the round due to the fact his two playing partners did not register any complaints.
"He was not causing any distress to his playing partners – neither of them said they were unhappy," commented Watt. "Also, pace of play was not an issue. He simply had a bad day and, in particular, two bad holes."
While there was misery for Spreadborough, five Lothians players were among those who fared much better in that particular regional qualifier.
Graeme Brown, who played out of Montrose as an amateur but now lives in Edinburgh and is attached to Marriott Dalmahoy, led the way with a two-under-par 70.
Brown, who also reached the final qualifying stage in 2003, bagged five birdies, including one at the 17th, where he almost holed his second shot.
Former Walker Cup player David Patrick, formerly of Mortonhall but now playing out of Elie Sports Club, progressed with a 70 and he's hoping to go one step better than 2001.
On that occasion, he lost out in a five-man play-off – his rivals included a certain Trevor Immelman – for one spot in the final qualifying at Southport & Ainsdale.
James McGhee, the former Duddingston amateur ace who is now a trainee pro at Turnhouse, made it as well with a 71, while Craigielaw's Mark Kerr survived to fight another day after a play-off.
Two years after losing out in exactly the same circumstances, Kerr, now playing on the EuroPro Tour after leaving the amateur ranks earlier this year, holed a six-foot par putt to keep his hopes alive before securing a berth thanks to an excellent par-4 at the 18th, the second play-off hole.
"I didn't play all that great and had to finish nicely – I birdied the 17th and made a good par at the last – to get myself into the play-off," said the 26-year-old. "After missing out two years ago, it is nice to make it this time and it will be good fun in the final qualifying.
"However, it will cost me another £300 in a year that was always going to be expensive anyway and my chances of making it into the Open field proper will be slim as there are so few spots up for grab next week."
Marriott Dalmahoy pro Scott Dixon also figured in the seven-man play-off – they were battling it for four spots – but he had to settle for one of the reserve placings.
While a number of players from in and around the Capital took part in one of the other qualifiers at Berwick-upon-Tweed, only Longniddry's Myles Cunningham headed back up the A1 with something to smile about.
Cunningham, last year's Lothians Junior champion, secured one of the spots there were with a 70, but there was agony for both Zander Culverwell (Dunbar) and Graham Turner (West Linton) as they fell just one short.
The full article contains 807 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
