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He’s In! Goswick Regional Qualifier Alex Wrigley to Tee It up at Old Course in the 150th Open

July 11, 2022

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. And if you’re Alex Wrigley, you just might find yourself teeing it up at the Old Course in the 150th Open Championship.

That’s the spectacular reward for the Hartlepool Golf Club teaching pro’s perseverance, having tried to beat the long odds of Open qualifying and make it onto the big stage pretty much every year since 2009 when he was a wide-eyed 18-year-old.Wrigley’s massive moment is also quite significant for Goswick Golf Links. It marks the first time since the club was designated by the R&A as a Regional Qualifying (RQ) venue for The Open in 2008 that one of its top finishers has advanced through Finals Qualifying (FQ) and earned a spot in the championship field.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe it’s taken Wrigley this long to break through. Back in 2009, he tied for the top spot at Goswick. In 2011, he was once again in the running — until he discovered that he had 15 clubs in his bag and was assessed a 4-stroke penalty. And in 2012, he shot a 6-under-par 66 to match Andy Scrimshaw as the leading regional qualifiers as well as co-owners of the Goswick course record from the blue tees.

This year he posted a 70 at Goswick, good enough to earn a place in an 8-man playoff for the final three guaranteed FQ spots. But that came to an abrupt halt with his tee shot on the first playoff hole, Goswick’s 420-yard par-4 10th.

“The young guys were all hitting driver, but I thought I’d play it safe and go with a 4-iron,” Wrigley says. “But then the ball took a wicked bounce to the left and ended up against the face of a fairway bunker. When I saw it I knew I was done."

However, thanks to a 3-under-par 33 coming home on his qualifying round, he was awarded the 1st reserve spot at Goswick and 12th among all 15 RQ sites.

“The R&A told me I had a really good chance of making it to the finals since a lot of Tour pros (who had FQ exemptions) would likely drop out,” he says. “And sure enough I got in at the Fairmont in St Andrews.”

However, Wrigley needed a strong finish to emerge from FQ with his long-coveted prize. And he got it, chipping in for eagle on the 16th, canning a testy par putt on the 18th and willing in a “nervy” 5-foot putt in the playoff.Wrigley credits his success on links courses to having grown up on one — Hartlepool on the Northeast England coast — and having played another one — Goswick — several times.

“To be honest I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with links golf,” he says. “I’m kind of a perfectionist when it comes to my golf. And sometimes on a links you can hit a good shot and get a bad result. Of course you can also hit bad shot and, with a bit of luck, end up with a good result. But I do know how to play all of the shots that are required, like bump-and-runs and knockdowns. So I feel at home on a links, but not always comfortable.”

Still, Wrigley always welcomes the chance to tee it up at Goswick. That’s especially true in the winter when the dreary weather renders most other courses in the area unplayable.

"The condition is just excellent all year round,” he says. “And the green speeds, especially in December and January, are faster than anything else in the northeast. It’s a great place to prepare my game if I have an event to play abroad. And the people there are always so welcoming.”

For this week, however, it’s all about the Old Course and the game’s oldest and most prestigious championship. Wrigley admits he has a lot to process in a short amount of time, having only played one round there before — and that was in the winter. But he does have a secret weapon: his caddie will be none other than his wife, Johanna Gustavsson, a regular on the Ladies European Tour and an entrant in the AIG Women’s Open to be played at Muirfield in August.

“It’s quite eye opening, with the lines off the tees and the size of the greens,” he says. “I got in a practice round on Sunday and managed to play a few holes with Shane Lowry and Padraig Harrington. They let me pick their brains a bit on how to play it and how the course will change over the course of the week. And Johanna has played it multiple times, so I will be relying on her experience.“

"The main thing is I just want to take it all in,” he adds. “I don’t know if this will ever happen again. So there’s a combination of nerves and excitement. Hopefully come Thursday I’ll be able to relax and enjoy it. I’m sure this week will go by so fast.”