Walters will make his first appearance in The Open since 2014. The South African, who lost his DP World Tour card in 2023, finished in first place at Burnham & Berrow with a nine-under-par total. Walters, who was visibly emotional afterwards, carded two rounds of 65 and 68 to secure his place in the field at Royal Portrush. “It hasn’t quite sunk in. I have the Royal Liverpool flag framed in my bedroom and I stared at it for a long time two days ago. I just said to myself ‘it would be really nice to play again’ and so here we are. I’m very happy. “I drove the ball really well, and I haven’t been driving it well for a while. I made the driver change to a mini driver and it really freed me up. So, I was able to attack the pins a little bit more than I have been – and I managed to knock in a couple of putts. Anytime you drive it good and putt it good, you’re going to do something good. And today was great! “I’m 45 now and I was worried that I’m running out of opportunities to play on the biggest of stages. So it really means a lot to me to get it done. Dean Burmester is one of my best mates so it’s really good news that he's qualified too. I really look forward to hanging out with him at Royal Portrush,” said Walters. Meanwhile, Burmester claimed the first qualifying place at Royal Cinque Ports with a 70 in the morning followed by a course record equalling 64 in the afternoon. With a 10-under-par 134, Burmester will compete in The Open for a fourth time. “That’s one of the best rounds of golf I’ve played. It was just flawless from the get-go this afternoon. Basically, from the 1st hole it looked like every putt was going to go in and that’s pretty much what happened for the next 17 holes. “I’m super chuffed with the way it’s turned out. It was a goal of mine to get to Portrush. Now I’ve got to find some accommodation,” said Burmester.