Row grows over qualifying rules

After 130 attempts you would think that they would have perfected the system of who does and who does not play in the Open. But you would be wrong, very wrong. For an argument is about to rage that may just drive a wedge between Europe's two golfing superpowers.

In one corner stands the European Tour and a collection of high-profile players which includes the last two Ryder Cup captains in its ranks. In the other is the Royal and Ancient, the august guardians of the game who are entrusted with organising the world's most prestigious tournament.

Sam Torrance, the current European captain, struck the first blows last week by saying that the R&A's refusal to move the qualifiers back a day meant that those making the cut at the Scottish Open would only get one bite at the Open cherry. If they did not finish in the first eight of the non-exempt players at Loch Lomond then that was that. Before last year, when the Scottish Open always finished on a Saturday, they could always take their chance in the qualifiers.

"I don't understand why they [the R&A] don't change it," Torrance said. As if to make his point the Scot made the cut at Loch Lomond and then finished well down in the mini-qualifying race. Meanwhile, Torrance's Ryder Cup predecessor, Mark James, was at the final qualifiers and bemoaning the fact that there were so few places up for grabs. As if to prove his point, James slumped to a 73 yesterday and will now have to commentate at Muirfield. "There are not sufficient qualifying places. I'm not picking out any particular player who is exempt, it is just that there are not enough spots."

All very messy, but a report yesterday saying that the R&A would move the qualifiers in 2004 suggested that at least Torrance's gripe would be satisfied. But then Peter Dawson, the secretary of the R&A, rubbished the claim of Ken Schofield, the chief executive of the European Tour, that an agreement had been reached.

"I'm not best pleased and I think it's a bit rich," said Dawson. "For commercial reasons the European Tour wanted the Scottish Open to finish on a Sunday rather than Saturday and to facilitate that we offered some qualifying places there. Now we are the bad guys." In answer to James's criticisms he said: "A sixth of the Open field get in through qualifying and for a major that's not bad. It keeps the dream alive, doesn't it?"

Dawson would have been advised not to talk about dreams to the unlucky few – 328 in all – who were not one of the 27 who made it through yesterday's qualifiers in the Edinburgh area. Sam Walker, the young amateur from the Forest of Arden, summed up the mood when he missed out by three at Dunbar.

"I can't believe that 96 of us have been playing for six spots for the biggest event in the world," he said. "Thousands of us pay £100 to enter and there's six spots!" The money was well worth it, though, for two other amateurs, Bedfordshire's John Kemp and Whitehaven's Simon Young. Kemp, with a 68 at Luffness New, was qualifying for his second successive Open and this year the salesman from John O'Gaunt has a simple plan. "First, I'm going to get hammered," he said, "and then I'm off to buy a strimmer. The first at Muirfield is like a cornfield."

Joining him will be Young, a 23-year-old from Whitehaven, who emerged as the joint leading qualifier from Dunbar with Sweden's Patrik Sjoland. In Young's wake came the most relieved player of the day. Steve Elkington's chance looked to have slipped after a double bogey six at the 18th. "I feel bloody terrible," the Australian said. A 70 left him on 137 and in a play-off with Yorkshire's Ian Garbutt and Sweden's Mattias Eliasson for the last two places. But then news came through that Paul Azinger had withdrawn from Muirfield. Another berth needed to be filled and Elkington knew just the man.