Jimmy Bullard has been named among more than 2,000 golfers entered for The Open Regional Qualifying on Monday 22 June, with places in Final Qualifying and a possible route to Royal Birkdale on the line.
The former Premier League midfielder is listed by The Open among the notable names chasing progress across 16 venues in Great Britain and Ireland, according to the official Regional Qualifying update from The Open.
Bullard is due to compete at Rochester & Cobham Park, while fellow former footballer Peter Odemwingie is scheduled for Enville. The wider field also includes previous Open players Robert Rock, Sam Forgan, Robert Dinwiddie, Zane Scotland and Alex Maguire.
Royal Birkdale route gives qualifying a sharper edge
The immediate prize is a place in Final Qualifying eight days later, but the broader target is The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale. That makes Monday’s regional stage more than a curiosity event, particularly with PGA Tour players, amateurs, content creators and former elite sportsmen all entering the same qualifying funnel.
Rick Shiels is also listed at Caldy, while Kris Kim, winner of the R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship in 2023, starts at Bearwood Lakes. The Open will run live blog coverage from 6.30am on Monday, adding a rolling spotlight to one of golf’s most democratic but unforgiving routes into a major championship.
