Hero Ashley Chesters in Open cut drama

The Shropshire amateur finished just one shot behind golf superstar Tiger Woods and almost achieved the incredible feat of qualifying for the final two rounds of the prestigious major

Chesters, 24, would have scooped the prize for the top amateur had he competed in the full four rounds.

The Hawkstone Park ace finished on three over par overall after yesterday's second round at Hoylake and was left sweating in the clubhouse, hoping other players would fall away.

He earned that position with a stunning finale to his five-over-par second round, which followed his impressive two-under 70 from Thursday. After dropping six shots on a windy front nine, he steadied on the back nine before recovering a shot on the 15th and then sinking a spectacular 35ft downhill putt to birdie the 17th.

Chesters then had a 15ft putt to hole what would have been a crucial birdie on the 18th, but just missed.

His three-over par total appeared likely to be enough at the time, but then the wind that he had battled against began to die down.

But for a dramatic triple bogey from Woods on the 17th, Chesters' rivals consolidated and a clutch of players finishing on two over par ensured he just missed out.

Chesters finished one shot above his nearest amateur rivals: Pan Cheng-tsung, of Taiwan, and Ireland's Paul Dunne.

While Chesters had a weekend to savour, another Hawkstone Park man, former Open champion Sandy Lyle, had a tournament to forget. He finished on 22 over par.

Woods, a three-time Open champion, is continuing to prove an erratic watch on his return from a back injury.

Yesterday he pulled his opening drive so badly that it ended up in thick rough to the left of the fairway on the adjacent 18th. There was more drama on the 17th, where he posted a triple bogey, but he recovered to make a crucial birdie on the last.

Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, shrugged off the Friday woes that have followed him at recent tournaments where he has been the overnight first-round leader.

He began the day with his only bogey of the tournament so far, but recovered to hole seven more birdies and card another six-under-par total.

He returned to the clubhouse on 12 under, four shots clear of his nearest rival, America's Dustin Johnson.