Jimmy Bullard and Peter Odemwingie have both fallen short in their bids to reach Final Qualifying for The Open after missing out in Monday’s Regional Qualifying events.
Bullard, the former Wigan Athletic, Fulham and Hull City midfielder, carded a one-over 72 at Rochester & Cobham Park, which left him outside the top 15 and short of the top-eight finish required to progress.
Odemwingie, who played for West Bromwich Albion, Cardiff City and Stoke City before becoming a PGA professional after retirement, finished on 12-over 84 at Enville as his own route to Royal Birkdale ended at the first stage.
Regional Qualifying Door Closes Before Royal Birkdale
More than 2,000 golfers competed across 16 venues in the one-day Regional Qualifying stage, with successful players moving on to Final Qualifying on June 30 before The Open is held at Royal Birkdale from July 16-19.
The pair’s football profile gave the qualifying story extra reach, but the scores underlined the scale of the task. Bullard has previous PGA EuroTour experience and has competed on the Legends Tour, while Odemwingie has built a second sporting career around golf since leaving football.
YouTuber Peter Finch, who came through Regional Qualifying last year, also missed out this time after a two-over 72 at Lindrick, while Rick Shiels shot four-over 76 at Caldy, according to Sky Sports’ report on The Open qualifying attempts.
For Bullard and Odemwingie, the Open dream is paused again. For the qualifiers who did advance, the next test is a 36-hole Final Qualifying shootout with places at Royal Birkdale still on the line.
