Ashley Chesters books his ticket to The Open
Shropshire golfer Ashley Chesters secured a spot at The Open – and bagged himself almost £40,000 in prize money – after finishing joint third at the Joburg Open.
The DP World Tour event was first reduced to 54 holes to allow non-South African residents involved to return home following international travel restrictions imposed due to Covid-19. The tournament was then reduced again to 36 holes due to bad weather.
But the disruption didn’t stop Hawkstone Park’s Chesters from having an impressive weekend.
Chesters finished on seven under par – a score that saw him finish in joint third spot with Shaun Norris.
South African Thriston Lawrence won the competition with a score of 12 under par.
Fellow South African Zander Lombard finished second, one shot ahead of Chesters.
The joint third-placed finish saw Chesters claim £39,733.91 in prize money. It also saw him confirm his spot at The 150th Open Championship – which takes place at St Andrews next year.
“It’s very exciting,” Chesters said on his qualification for The Open.
“I played there as an amateur in 2015 and I did quite well which was nice but I did say it would be great to go back as a professional. I’m really excited, really happy.
“We played quite a lot of golf there as amateurs so I know the course really well and hopefully that will give me a good chance.”
