British Open Qualifiers: It doesn't just happen in the movies, as Danny Sugrue, a professional golfer without a card of any description, discovered in the final qualifying for the British Open yesterday.

"It's great to make the big show," remarked the 26-year-old from Killarney after earning a ticket to the biggest championship in golf by simply out-shooting all other pretenders at Western Gailes where he led the qualifying.

Sugrue was the only one of 13 Irish players competing in the final qualifying at four courses to make the grade, and he did it in some style.

In shooting rounds of 67 and 72 for a three-under-par total of 139, he finished two shots clear of the field.

"This is all a bit of a dream," he confessed. "Playing in the British Open is what it is all about . . . now, it's a question of going out and playing well.

"There's no point going out and shooting two 90s because, once you've qualified, you really want to do well.

"Playing in the Open is everyone's dream and, for me, making it into the championship is confirmation that all of my hard work is paying off."

The road to playing in the British Open at Royal Troon this week, where he will tee up alongside the game's millionaire stars, has been a rocky one for the Kerryman, a former Irish junior international who turned professional in 2002 and won his Challenge Tour card.

However, in nine outings on the European Tour's secondary circuit last year he won just 817 and failed to retain his card for this season. Instead, Sugrue had to resort to playing on the Golden Bear mini-tour in the United States.

"I've no sponsors and no management. I have to do everything myself," he remarked.

Sugrue earned a place in final qualifying by firstly coming through the local qualifying at Baltray last week.

On Saturday, he shot a 67 to lead the qualifying and, in yesterday's windy conditions, he added a 72 to retain that lead.

Not that he got off to the ideal start. Sugrue bogeyed the first and third holes, before steadying matters and then claiming three birdies in a stretch of five holes.

He hit a wedge to 25 feet on the eighth, a lob wedge to four feet on the 10th and a wedge to three feet on the 12th before dropping shots on the 16th and 17th which played into the wind.

While Sugrue booked his place in the Open field in some style - bringing the number of Irish players in the championship to six, along with Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Graeme McDowell and Brian McElhinney - there was to be no joy for the other Irish players seeking a place.

Of the rest, Walker Cup player Noel Fox came closest, missing out on a play-off at Irvine by one shot. Fox birdied the 17th - hitting a nine iron approach in to four feet - on his way to a 71 for two-under-par 140.

"I thought when I birdied the 17th that I had a chance, it gave me hope. I was gutted to discover that I had missed out on a play-off by just one shot but, to be honest, I didn't putt well over the two days," said Fox, who intends attending the European Tour school at the end of the season and finally making a move into the professional ranks.

Jonathan Cheetham of England led the qualifying at Irvine where tour players Martin Erlandsson, Sven Struver and Andrew Oldcorn (after a play-off) secured the qualifying places. Simon Dyson topped the qualifying at Glasgow Gailes - with rounds of 65 and 72 for 137 - by four shots where he was joined by Paul Bradshaw, Andrew Willey and Anthony Millar, while Paul Wesselingh, Sean Whiffin, Steven Tiley and Lloyd Campbell secured the places available at Turnberry Kintyre.