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Brandel Chamblee qualifies for Senior Open for the second year in a row
For a second consecutive year, Brandel Chamblee's trip to the United Kingdom to cover the Open Championship will include playing in an Open.
On Monday, the NBC/Golf Channel analyst swapped his microphone for his golf clubs and qualified for this week's Senior Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club. Chamblee earned his spot in the field by shooting a one-under-par 72 at Fairhaven. Golfweek's Eamon Lynch snapped this photo of his happy friend:
It wasn't quite the performance as last year when Chamblee shot 69 and was medalist at his qualifier. This time, he finished tied for eighth among the 133 golfers who finished their rounds. And if we're nitpicking his play—as Chamblee does (well) of others at his day job—he bogeyed a par 5 to finish his round. Not very clutch, Brandel!
All kidding aside, this is an impressive accomplishment for a part-time golfer. Even if Chamblee, 57, happens to be a part-time golfer who once won on the PGA Tour.
Chamblee's next goal? Play better than he did at St. Andrews last year, where he shot 77-75 to miss the cut. After, he bluntly assessed his golf game.
“It was tougher than I thought it would be,” Chamblee said after the second round. “Yesterday I wasn’t sharp hitting the ball, and I putted atrociously. Today, I was pretty sharp hitting the ball, but I found my way into a couple of pot bunkers. And continued to putt like a buffoon.”
In other words, no matter how he plays this week, it should be entertaining.