Schoolboy on course for Open place

A 15-year-old schoolboy yesterday kept alive his dream of becoming one of the youngest players to compete in the Open.

Abbas-Ali Mawji, a Zimbabwean who was born in Watford and is a member of the Houghwood club in St Helens, finished joint top of the regional qualifier at Alwoodley, near Leeds.

Mawji, whose father is a doctor, scored a level-par 71 to go through to final qualifying on Sunday. If he comes through that he will line up alongside Tiger Woods in the Open at Muirfield next week. The Open's youngest player was Young Tom Morris, who was 14 years and four months when he played in 1865.