Irishman David Carey caps dream spell by securing spot in 150th Open

Talk about a memorable few days. David Carey turned 26 on Saturday, walked the hallowed turf of the Old Course at St Andrews for the first time on Sunday and will be back there in a fortnight’s time to play in the 150th Open.

Booking his berth in the milestone event in style, the Dubliner holed a 50-footer for a birdie at his 36th and last hole of the day at Fairmont St Andrews in one of four Final Qualifying events for the season’s final major.

With rounds of 68 and 69 in testing conditions, Carey finished on seven-under-par to comfortably claim top spot at the Fife venue, where the other places up for grabs in the Claret Jug joust went to English duo Robert Dinwiddie and Alex Wrigley and Dutchman Lars Van Miejel.

“Yeah, very happy,” said the soft-spoken Carey, who certainly stood out in his emerald green top and bright red breeks. “It was a long day, especially with the rain and wind there this afternoon. I was just trying to stay patient and do the simple things.

“I’ve been playing well the last few weeks. I’ve had a lot of solid scores without anything amazing, so I felt like I had been close to a really good week.”

Having spent the winter practising in Florida and playing mainly on the Alps Tour this season, Carey admitted his biggest challenge had been adapting to a seaside test.

“I know this is a shocking admission by someone from Ireland, but I haven’t actually played a links course in about two years,” he said. “So, when I got here and saw it was quite soft, I was happy as it was a little more familiar to me.”

Like defending champion Collin Morikawa, Carey will be playing the Old Course for the first time when he joins an Irish contingent that will be headed by former winners Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke,