England Golf Men’s Squad player Seb Cave had a day to remember on Tuesday at Royal Cinque Ports, as he qualified for The Open.
The Warwickshire golfer finished 4th out of the 72-player field ahead of seasoned tour professionals including Ian Poulter, Erik van Rooyen, Matthew Southgate and Peter Uihlein.
Sadly, fellow England Golf Men’s Squad star Tyler Weaver narrowly missed out by a single shot in tied-6th, as did other England Golf players in Luke Poulter (tied-13th), Kris Kim (tied-29th) and Harley Smith (tied-33rd).
But Cave got his dream ticket, after shooting -5 across 36 holes. He admitted: “It’s a surreal feeling, it’s not sunk in yet. I was 5-under in the morning and it could have been eight or nine quite easily. I struggled a bit in the afternoon as the wind got up and you could probably tell by the scores, but I had a weird feeling all day that I was going to make it.
“Even when I made a few bogeys and a double, I told myself I wasn’t out of this and I holed out from 50 yards on 16 for eagle and stuck it to a foot on 17 for birdie, and despite missing my birdie putt on the last, luckily it was enough.
“It may have exceeded expectations a little, but you’re going there to qualify. To get through with the way I played, it was surreal to pick up a flag and a player tag, which is currently on the kitchen side!”
Asked about whether there was any time to celebrate his achievemet, Cave revealed: “It was a long drive back! I’ve got a friend coming down so we’ll have some fun celebrating this weekend, but it’ll also be nice to have a bit of time off as I’ve had a long three-week stint where I haven’t been at home in my own bed!”
Cave, whose home club is Coxmoor in Nottinghamshire, came into the Open Final Qualifying off the back of missed cuts at the St Andrews Links Trophy and the British Amateur Championship, and then a tied-18th finish at the European Amateur Championship in Sweden.
He explained: “Coming back from University (of North Carolina-Charlotte) in the USA, getting used to links golf was a challenge at the start - but I’d have missed all the cuts if it meant being able to play in The Open!
“I’m just thinking about how good the week is going to be – it’s a bit hectic at the moment with planning and trying to sort everyone out with tickets!”
And like most, the 21-year-old, who has been part of the England Golf set-up since 2019, is hoping he gets the chance to play alongside some of the game’s star names.
He continued: “The number one player in the world Scottie Scheffler, how good he is right now, he’d be a standout name I’d love to play with, and obviously Rory McIlroy. I’d love to try and outdrive Bryson DeChambeau in one of the practice rounds too!
"It’d be nice to play with some of the big names but I’m going there to do a job and try and get a finish that I know I’m capable of and deserve. I don’t really have an expectations but I know my game is good enough on links courses to be able to go and shoot a good score and test myself against some of the best players in the world. If that means I play great and miss the cut then amazing, if it means I play great and finish top 20, then it’s amazing. But I’m not too fussed about a finish – the goal is the Silver Medal (for being the top amateur).
“One thing I think a lot of people do is change routine, but I’ll probably do more of the same. Obviously it’ll be a different week as I’ll be there earlier than I would for an amateur event, but I’ll keep going through my drills, coaching and warm-ups that I would do for a normal amateur links event.
“I think Dad (Alex) will be on the bag again. I usually have my mate, but Dad did it at Open Qualifying and it works quite well as I quite like doing it on my own. He’ll just be there carrying the bag and cleaning the clubs!”
Asked about where this achievement ranks, Cave added: “Representing England Golf, and also GB&I has been great, but this probably tops it. Getting over the line in a one-day event against players who are already on tour, to qualify for an event I want to be challenging for every year, and playing with the guys I want to be like - it has to be up there as my best achievement.”
Sadly, fellow England Golf Men’s Squad star Tyler Weaver narrowly missed out by a single shot in tied-6th, as did other England Golf players in Luke Poulter (tied-13th), Kris Kim (tied-29th) and Harley Smith (tied-33rd).
But Cave got his dream ticket, after shooting -5 across 36 holes. He admitted: “It’s a surreal feeling, it’s not sunk in yet. I was 5-under in the morning and it could have been eight or nine quite easily. I struggled a bit in the afternoon as the wind got up and you could probably tell by the scores, but I had a weird feeling all day that I was going to make it.
“Even when I made a few bogeys and a double, I told myself I wasn’t out of this and I holed out from 50 yards on 16 for eagle and stuck it to a foot on 17 for birdie, and despite missing my birdie putt on the last, luckily it was enough.
“It may have exceeded expectations a little, but you’re going there to qualify. To get through with the way I played, it was surreal to pick up a flag and a player tag, which is currently on the kitchen side!”
Asked about whether there was any time to celebrate his achievemet, Cave revealed: “It was a long drive back! I’ve got a friend coming down so we’ll have some fun celebrating this weekend, but it’ll also be nice to have a bit of time off as I’ve had a long three-week stint where I haven’t been at home in my own bed!”
Cave, whose home club is Coxmoor in Nottinghamshire, came into the Open Final Qualifying off the back of missed cuts at the St Andrews Links Trophy and the British Amateur Championship, and then a tied-18th finish at the European Amateur Championship in Sweden.
He explained: “Coming back from University (of North Carolina-Charlotte) in the USA, getting used to links golf was a challenge at the start - but I’d have missed all the cuts if it meant being able to play in The Open!
“I’m just thinking about how good the week is going to be – it’s a bit hectic at the moment with planning and trying to sort everyone out with tickets!”
And like most, the 21-year-old, who has been part of the England Golf set-up since 2019, is hoping he gets the chance to play alongside some of the game’s star names.
He continued: “The number one player in the world Scottie Scheffler, how good he is right now, he’d be a standout name I’d love to play with, and obviously Rory McIlroy. I’d love to try and outdrive Bryson DeChambeau in one of the practice rounds too!
"It’d be nice to play with some of the big names but I’m going there to do a job and try and get a finish that I know I’m capable of and deserve. I don’t really have an expectations but I know my game is good enough on links courses to be able to go and shoot a good score and test myself against some of the best players in the world. If that means I play great and miss the cut then amazing, if it means I play great and finish top 20, then it’s amazing. But I’m not too fussed about a finish – the goal is the Silver Medal (for being the top amateur).
“One thing I think a lot of people do is change routine, but I’ll probably do more of the same. Obviously it’ll be a different week as I’ll be there earlier than I would for an amateur event, but I’ll keep going through my drills, coaching and warm-ups that I would do for a normal amateur links event.
“I think Dad (Alex) will be on the bag again. I usually have my mate, but Dad did it at Open Qualifying and it works quite well as I quite like doing it on my own. He’ll just be there carrying the bag and cleaning the clubs!”
Asked about where this achievement ranks, Cave added: “Representing England Golf, and also GB&I has been great, but this probably tops it. Getting over the line in a one-day event against players who are already on tour, to qualify for an event I want to be challenging for every year, and playing with the guys I want to be like - it has to be up there as my best achievement.”
ENDS
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org