Jamie Wood of Rochester & Cobham Park Golf Club impressed on his home course on Monday to tie for first ahead of next month’s 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.
Wood was one of two players to finish on three-under-par alongside Chartham Park’s Thomas Thurloway.
Senior teaching professional Wallis was Canterbury’s sole survivor into next Tuesday’s 36 holes of final qualifying when four spots will be up for grabs at each of four venues throughout the country for a highly-prized place at the Old Course.
“I know Rochester & Cobham very well but I didn’t play well today, I just scrambled round. I think I only hit five fairways but I putted very well," Wallis told Steve Acteson.
“I was disappointed because driving is normally the strong part of my game. I just kept going and, when I hit poor tees shots, I just got it on the green and tried to two putt.
“I was one-over after nine and then made birdies on 11, 14, 15 and 17 and that was the clutch one.
“We had about 20mph winds, the pins were in very tricky positions and although 17 was driveable, I decided not go for it and laid up.
“I hit 5 iron off the tee to leave myself about 90 yards, flicked it into eight feet and holed it.”
He came home in one-under-par alongside Charts Hills’ Ant Tarchetti and Ben Quinney, of Kings Hill.
Wildernesse’s Danny Jones qualified with a level-par 71 but Warren Wood, of Rochester & Cobham Park, just missed out despite finishing on the same score.
Others to miss out with one-over-par scores included Rochester & Cobham’s Shaun Macklin, Todd Adcock, of Tonbridge Golf Centre, Canterbury’s Josh Bristow and Jack Lee who was also representing Rochester & Cobham.
Players from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Belgium, Sweden, Italy and Germany were among
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