Abraham Ancer wanted to snap his putter in half after it seemed he would miss out on a spot in the Open Championship at Royal Troon in two weeks.
Fast-forward a few hours and the LIV Golf star had booked his trip to Scotland, defeating fellow LIV player Anirban Lahiri in a three-for-two playoff at Burnham and Berrow Golf Club in southwest England.
The Mexican, a legend at the University of Oklahoma, set the pace in his opening round of the 36-hole qualifier, carding a six-under-par 65 over his first 18 holes to lead former U.S. Open champion Justin Rose by one at the halfway stage.
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The 33-year-old made a strong start to round two, but his day started to unravel after he hit the turn with a bogey at 12 followed by a triple-bogey six at the par-three 14th to slip down the leaderboard.
A birdie followed at 15 but he missed chances down the stretch to finish at one-over for his round and five-under for the tournament. He holed a clutch putt to save par at 18 to keep slim hopes of a playoff spot alive, but his frustration was clear to see as he held his putter over his knee.
He spoke to Mirror Sports US moments later and cut a dejected figure, saying he “shot himself in the foot” and fearing his sloppy back nine after playing so well had cost him a spot in the 152nd Open. But a late bogey from Charlie Lindh and a double from South Africa’s Justin Walters opened the door for the Fireballs star to sneak into a playoff.
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Ancer was joined by Lindh, an Asian Tour player from Sweden, and Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers teammate Anirban Lahiri in a three-for-two playoff to confirm the final qualifiers after Rose and Stetson University sophomore Dominic Clemons finished in a tie for first at eight-under-par.
Ancer came into the playoff cold; not only had a bitter wind took hold of the Somerset links track, but he had been sat waiting for hours, unsure if his day was over or not. Yet he responded to the challenge impressively, ripping a perfect fairway metal off the first tee into prime position in the fairway and he safely got down for par alongside Lindh, eliminating Lahiri who could only make a bogey at the par-four first.
“Yeah, man,” a relieved Ancer told Mirror Sports US . “There were a lot of emotions on the back nine. It was definitely a rollercoaster but it made it even sweeter going into the playoff and getting the job done. That was really cool, this golf course is phenomenal.”
When asked about the challenge of waiting hours before getting back on the course for a high-stakes playoff, he replied: “It was weird. I had to sit back and see what happened. Somebody could have caught fire at the end but it was very tough conditions to do that. It got a lot colder too, but we were ready. We had a little range session and hit some balls so I was ready to go.”
The former world No. 11, who sits 10th in the LIV Golf standings with five events remaining after winning in Hong Kong earlier this season, believes he can contend for the Claret Jug at Royal Troon on July 18.
"I’m pumped, I can’t wait to be back," he said. "I love playing links golf and I wish I played more of it. It’s my sixth Open in a row so I can’t wait to get there. I’ve just got to play how I play out here. I felt I was in control of my ball flight. I was comfortable moving the ball both ways and you’ve got to make some putts.
"The game feels good. It’s trending in the right direction. I feel like I’m working on the right things and I’m hitting the right shots. I’ve just got to put some rounds together but I feel really good."
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