Heroic walk-off hole-out earns 389th pro spot in Open

When the 2024 Open Championship kicks off at Royal Troon in two weeks, Angel Hidalgo will be in the field. But the way he got there is different to the other 150-plus golfers who will join him in Scotland, and it required a huge amount of heroics on his final shot of qualifying.

Tuesday was the final day of qualifying for this year’s Open, with hundreds of golfers competing in four different qualifying events. Hidalgo competed at Dundonald Links in Scotland, where after a 36-hole grind, only the top four finishers earned tee times at the Open.

It was a tough task for the 26-year-old Hidalgo, who hails from Spain and is currently ranked 389 in the Official World Golf Ranking, but on hole 36 he proved he was more than up to the task.

When he stepped onto the tee of the par-4 9th hole at Dundonald Links, his final hole of the qualifying event, he was three under par. It was clear he needed a birdie to qualify for the play-off for fourth and final place.

He went one better by holed his second shot with a wedge for an eagle to take his five-under-par finish, avoiding the play-offs and sending him to Royal Troon to fight for Open glory.

Although the recording was not captured on film, Bunkered editor Lewis Fraser caught Hidalgo as he walked onto the green and retrieved his ball from the hole, which Fraser split on X.

Hidalgo’s heroics earn him his first-ever appearance in a major championship. He has spent much of his career on the DP World Tour and its associated Challenge Tour, where he won the 2021 Big Green Egg German Challenge. Hidalgo’s best world ranking to date was 205th. The 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon begins on Thursday, July 18.

Kevin Cunningham

Golf.com Editor

As managing producer for GOLF.com, Cunningham edits, writes and publishes stories on GOLF.com and manages the brand’s e-newsletters, which reach more than 1.4 million subscribers each month. A former two-time intern, he also helps keep GOLF.com alive beyond the news and service content provided by our reporters and writers, working with the tech team to develop new products and innovative ways to deliver an engaging site to our audience.