"This is still one of my favourite spots," he said of the Muirfield links where he claimed two of his three Open titles. "I am enjoying the memories." The new Nick Faldo, the one who puts enjoying himself over winning, has been in nostalgia mood in the practice rounds before Thursday's Open Championship. The new Nick Faldo, the one who puts enjoying himself over winning, has been in nostalgia mood in the practice rounds before Thursday's Open Championship. Another berth needed to be filled and Elkington knew just the man.. But then news came through that Paul Azinger had withdrawn from Muirfield.

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. Steve Elkington's chance looked to have slipped after a double bogey six at the 18th "I feel bloody terrible," the Australian said. 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. "First, I'm going to get hammered," he said, "and then I'm off to buy a strimmer. 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. "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. 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.

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. 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. "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. 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. 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.