NEWS ROUND-UP:SHANE LOWRY will compete in his first major championship in the British Open at St Andrews next month after he finished in top spot at yesterday's 36-hole qualifying event at Sunningdale.

The 23-year-old from Clara matched Nick Faldo’s record of 62 on the Old Course at the Berkshire club in the morning. He followed that up with a 67 on the tougher New Course in the afternoon to finish on 11 under, two shots clear of the Scottish duo of Andrew Coltart and Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie.

With just ten qualifying spots on offer, Montgomerie was well down the leaderboard after an opening 69 on the Old Course.

But the 46-year-old Scot rolled back the years over his second 18 holes as he equalled the course record on the New with an eight-under-par 62.

Lowry, only one under par to the turn during his morning round, started for home with six successive birdies and by pitching to 18 inches at the 425-yard 17th he was able to equal Faldo’s mark, set at the 1986 European Open.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens and confidence was a bit low, so I changed my putter this morning,” commented Lowry.

“After nine holes I said to my caddie I’m going to have to be patient and it certainly paid off. St Andrews is going to be great. I said at the start of the year it’s one tournament I wanted to play.”

Gareth Maybin will also tee it up at the Old Course next month after he finished in a tie for fourth spot with Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn after rounds of 64 and 68.

Peter Lawrie lost out in a five-man play-off for the final spot, which Germany’s Marcel Siem won with a birdie at the first hole.

Qualifiers (Par 70) 129 S Lowry (Irl) 62 67; 131 A Coltart (Sco) 66 65, C Montgomerie (Sco) 69 62; 132 G Maybin (NI) 64 68, T Bjorn (Den) 65 67; 133 JM Lara (Spn) 66 67, T Goya (Arg) 66 67, I Garrido (Spn) 64 69, B Dredge (Wal) 68 65; 134 M Siem (Ger) (after play-off). Other Irish: 134 Peter Lawrie 67 67; 137 D Clarke 68 69; 138 P McGinley 70 68, G Murphy 72 66.