ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (PA) -- After a 2,500-mile journey and an anxious six-hour wait, Brad Faxon finally learned late Sunday that he had booked his place in the Open Championship.
Faxon feared a second-round 69 in final qualifying at Lundin Golf Club would not be enough to claim one of the final dozen spots available for St. Andrews in four 36-hole qualifying tournaments staged across Scotland on Saturday and Sunday.
But after nervously waiting to see if any of the remaining 74 players could better his score, the former Ryder Cup player knew he had done enough to play over the Old Course.
Faxon, who finished third behind Ireland's Padraig Harrington in his last event on the PGA Tour, could have played in the qualifying event in America two weeks ago, but insisted he could not break a commitment to host the CVS Charity Classic, a popular charity event in his native Rhode Island.
Unlike some of his fellow Americans, the 43-year-old was determined to play in the Open, and so entered final qualifying for the first time since 2000 -- when he ironically missed out at Lundin.
"I was always coming to Scotland to qualify," said a delighted Faxon. "If you win a tournament like this it changes your whole life and I'm not going to win it staying at home. There is a special feeling playing these links courses and competing in the oldest major in the world."
Faxon's two-round total of 133 gave him a share of second place with Swedish amateur Oscar Floren, one behind European Tour professional Lars Brovold of Norway. The top three finishers in each of the four qualifiers earned tickets to St. Andrews.
Brovold carded a second-round 64 that included an amazing back nine of just 27 shots, four birdies in a row from the 10th followed by two more on the 15th and 16th and an eagle two on the 17th from 40 yards.
It was not the first amazing feat of scoring from the Norwegian, who shot opening rounds of 79 and 61 in the tour's qualifying school last year before going on to claim the 12th card.
Italian amateur Edoardo Molinari led the qualifiers at Ladybank with rounds of 67 and 66, finishing one clear of Australian John Wade. England's Robert Steele took the final place after a long wait to discover if his round of 69 was good enough.
"It was the longest day of my life and the most important," said the 22-year-old amateur, who celebrated his birthday a few days ago. It will be great to be there for Jack Nicklaus' last Open."
Former European Tour professional Murray Urquhart led the qualifiers at Scotscraig with rounds of 68 and 66, one ahead of England's Andrew Marshall and Scottish amateur Lloyd Saltman, who recently was named to the 2005 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team.
The only playoff came at Leven Links, where Scottish amateur Eric Ramsay and England's Sean McDonagh shared the top spot on 8-under 134, one ahead of EuroPro Tour player Phil Worthington and Germany's Tino Schuster.
Schuster then birdied the first playoff hole to claim the final spot, leaving Worthington as first reserve for the championship.
For Ramsay, winner of the Australian amateur title in March, qualifying will go some way to make up for the disappointment of not being selected for the Walker Cup team that will defend the trophy in Chicago in August.
McDonagh, who is based in California and plays on the Nationwide Tour in America, carded a superb round of 64 to equal the course record.
Among those to miss out were Scotland's Dean Robertson and Walker Cup veteran Gary Wolstenholme.
Robertson was forced to withdraw after nine holes of his second round at Scotscraig with a shoulder injury. Back on the European Tour after battling clinical depression, he was 7-under at the time and on course to qualify.
"I've had problems for a while," said the former Italian Open winner. "It's been given a fair amount of pummeling, to be honest, and it's just not right. I can't complete the swing."
Wolstenholme did manage a second-round 65 at Leven Links but missed out on the playoff by a single shot, the damage done by an opening 71.
"Three putts lipped out and if they'd gone out maybe I had a good chance," he said. "But yesterday killed me. My mum said last night, 'Don't be soft, go out there and shoot 62,' and she'll be upset I didn't."
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