Gavin O’Neill has reached the matchplay stages while fellow Royal Jersey player Paul Le Chevalier has missed the cut.
And there were differing fortunes for the pair yesterday as O’Neill finished eagle, par, birdie to progress while Le Chevalier was inside the cut before dropping five shots over the final six holes to scupper his chances.
O’Neill said: ‘I got through by the skin of my teeth, I really thought I was on the way out.
It is really tough up here and I fell away when I missed a few greens between ten and 15.
‘But I managed to pull it round, I was delighted with my finish.’ Le Chevalier said: ‘Birkdale is a brutal course and conditions were perfect.
But I managed to lose it, my swing just fell to pieces on the closing holes.’ O’Neill fired a two-round total of 147, 73 at Royal Birkdale on Monday and 74 yesterday at Southport and Ainsdale.
Le Chevalier shot 74 at Southport on Monday and a seven-over-par 77 yesterday at Birkdale.
O’Neill was playing Michael Hunt, of Pleasington GC, this morning for a place in this afternoon’s last 64 of the championship.
The British Amateur Championship attracts the leading amateurs from around the world, the leading qualifier being Switzerland’s Damian Ulrich with a five-under-par 135.
