Storm misses course record on final hole

The English amateur squad player Graeme Storm was one shot off the Copt Heath course record as he reached the final qualifying round of next week's Open at Royal Troon with several strokes to spare.

Storm, from Wynyard Park, needed a mere two putts on the final green for a five-under-par 66, but instead he recorded his only bogey in an otherwise flawless round by taking three to get down.

Storm's frustrating putting lapse was, however, nothing compared to the trauma that was suffered by the Indian golfer Indrajit Bhalotia.

Having played in the group behind Tiger Woods when the American won the Honda Classic in Bangkok recently, he was keen to take another look at him at Troon next week.

The Indian had reached the final qualifying round near the same venue in 1989, but this time his hopes were dashed by the slick Copt Heath greens.

"When I played a practice round here last Friday, the greens were wet and slow," he said.

"This time they were much faster and today I three-putted three greens and four-putted another - and therefore I miss out on one of the places by four strokes."