Golf: Golfers present Open and shut cases with hope in their hearts and belief in their arts

From tee to tree at Sherwood Forest Golf Course yesterday where the hunt was on for an Open qualifying place. One of the many men who failed to reach Muirfield was Gary Nicklaus, the Golden Bear's 23-year-old 'cub'. Watched by a large gallery the rookie professional could manage only a four-over-par 75, one shot too many. The Essex-based Scot, Bill Longmuir, the first-day leader in the Open in both 1979 and 1984, came through his first-ever regional qualifying with a 71

Photograph: Robert Hallam

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