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London - European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie booked his place in the British Open after carding a record-equalling 62 on the Sunningdale New Course on Monday.
Needing a second round 65 just to be in a play-off at the 36-hole qualifying event, the 46-year-old, now ranked 365th in the world, went three better than that and finished joint second with fellow Scot Andrew Coltart on nine under par.
That guaranteed Montgomerie - who is dealing with the fallout along with his wife Gaynor over the tabloid revelations at the weekend about his seeing a former girlfriend - a spot in next month's Open at St Andrews, where he finished runner-up to Tiger Woods in 2005.
The eight-time European number one has never missed an Open since his debut at the Home of Golf in 1990.
"It's (St Andrews) is a special place no question and I'm just glad the opportunity has been taken," said Montgomerie, who seems almost certain to finish his career as one of the best players never to win a Major.
"I said to my caddie I'll be 47 when the Open comes round and this will probably be my last opportunity to play it at St Andrews," added Montgomerie, who has finished runner-up in a Major five times.
With 96 players fighting for just 10 places, Montgomerie and Coltart finished two behind Shane Lowry, the 23-year-old who won last year's Irish Open as an amateur and who will now play his first major after matching one of Sir Nick Faldo's best-ever rounds.
Lowry scored a course record-equalling 62 on the Old Course - the same as Faldo in the 1986 European Open, but Montgomerie's round came on by far the tougher of the two lay-outs.
Several other Ryder Cup stars missed their chance to make the Open with Irish couple Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley who both went under par but weren't even close to joining in the play-off for the final spot on offer.
That ended up going to the in-form 29-year-old German Marcel Siem, who made up for the disappointment of surrendering a third round lead at last weekend's Wales Open - he ended up finishing seventh - by reaching his first Major.
