Hartlepool golfer Alex Wrigley set for Open bow at 150th Championship

Hartlepool golfer Alex Wrigley is set for his Open Championship debut at St Andrews. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

Hartlepool golfer Alex Wrigley will fulfil a dream on Thursday lunchtime when he tees off in the first round of The Open Championship at the home of golf in St Andrews.

Wrigley will compete amongst the stars of golf in the 150th Open Championship when he tees off alongside South African Thriston Lawrence and Paraguayan Fabrizio Zanotti on Thursday.

And for Wrigley, being up close and personal with some of golfs great such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will be a moment to savour.

“It is a tournament for the ages and potentially is going to be the biggest golf tournament in history,” Wrigley told PA.

Alex Wrigley qualified for the 150th Open Championship in a play-off last month. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

“So to be part of that and see some of the legends up close and personal will be absolutely a dream come true.”

Wrigley made the cut for The Open after coming through a play-off at nearby Fairmont, St Andrews last month.

The 32-year-old had been called up as a reserve from the regional qualifying round for the 36-hole final qualifying round and after a chip-in eagle on the 16th hole of his second round, he tied with 2020 Scottish Open champion Aaron Rai and Dutchman Lars van Meijel for third place before claiming one of the two spots available via the play-off.

It ended over a decade long quest to reach The Open since Wrigley turned pro in 2008.

Johanna Gustavsson will be on the bag for husband Alex Wrigley at The Open Championship. (Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images)

In 2011, Wrigley came agonisingly close to making the cut for Royal St George before being handed a four stroke penalty for having 15 clubs in his bag at the regional qualifying event at Goswick in Northumberland.

“I’d been doing some messing around at the golf club with an old wedge and just slotted it into the bag and it was kind of hiding under another club,” said Wrigley.

“I was given a four-shot penalty and at the time I was in by one shot but I felt a little bit better at the end of the day because I would have eventually missed out – but I now always count my clubs on the first tee.”

Wrigley has twice featured in the PGA Cup but his two biggest professional wins as an individual on the minor tours in England and Scandinavia have earned him a maximum of around £6,000 each.

Here, though, the Hartlepool golfer is set to earn £4,000 just for finishing at the St Andrews course.

But while those wins and appearances in America in 2015 and 2019 have been high pressure scenarios for Wrigley, nothing will compare to competing in the most historic golf tournament.

“The feeling of not wanting to let down team-mates means the pressure seems even more, it’s different to playing individually. It feels more intense,”

“But even if you qualified and got your tour card and maybe went in any other Opens or majors, I can’t think anything would eclipse this.”

And if featuring in The Open was not enough, Wrigley will do so alongside his wife, Ladies European Tour player Johanna Gustavsson who will be caddying for him.

Swedish Gustavsson already has three second places and four other top 10s to her name in the first half of this season and has booked her place at the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield.

Wrigley's Open quest begins when he tees off at 12.09pm on Thursday.