Amateur duo Barclay Brown and Sam Bairstow are showing true Sheffield steel as they aim to emulate major winners Matt Fitzpatrick and Danny Willett
- There are more golfers from Sheffield playing at the Open than from Scotland
- The last two British major winners, including Matt Fitzpatrick, hail from Sheffield
- Two highly rated amateurs are aiming to emulate Fitzpatrick and Danny Willett
Here’s an Open fact that will leave you wide-eyed.
There are more golfers from Sheffield taking part at the home of golf than from Scotland.
The last two British major winners – Danny Willett in the 2016 Masters and Matt Fitzpatrick at this year’s US Open – both hail from the Steel City.
Two Sheffield amateurs hope to emulate Matt Fitzpatrick at the Open tournament this week
And now, hoping to follow the trail laid by Willett and Fitzpatrick, are two highly rated amateurs who survived the rigours of final qualifying: Barclay Brown and Sam Bairstow.
Bairstow, 23, tied the leading score at the qualifier staged at St Anne’s links near Blackpool to earn a spot in the Open for a second year in a row.
‘Once you have played in the Open you never want to miss another and particularly the 150th,’ he said.
Sam Bairstow (above left) and Barclay Brown (right) will also represent Sheffield at St Andrews
‘I felt a bit in awe at Royal St George’s last year but I hope it will feel a bit more natural this time, although it might be hard with Tiger Woods in the field!
‘Sheffield is doing really well in golf. A lot of that is down to Pete Cowen’s Academy, where Danny and Matt went and they’ve set a great example.
‘I saw Matt’s final round of the US Open. It gives you a buzz knowing he is from the same city.’
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