BASINGSTOKE golfer Stuart Archibald may not have reached The Open but he says there are plenty of positives to take from his performance at final qualifying.

The 25-year-old was at Gailes Links, in Scotland, last week, attempting to reach the world’s most famous tournament, held at Turnberry next week, for the first time.

Needing to finish in the top four, Archibald, pictured above, fell four shots short, recording a one-over-par score of 143 for his two rounds to claim a tie for 17th.

“I am disappointed not to be in The Open but I was only four shots off qualifying and so there is plenty to take from it,” he said. “My season has been a bit up and down and there has not been too much to be pleased about so it is good to have had a few decent rounds and it has given me some confidence.

“It was good fun. There were a lot of good players up there and it was nice to be able to compete with them because that is what I am going to have to do to be successful.”

Archibald reached final qualifying after a good display in regional qualifying at Ferndown, in Dorset. The Worting resident shot 70 (-1), which was eventually good enough for a top-ten finish.

That performance earned Archibald a place at final qualifying for the second time in his career and he made a decent start to his first round. However, a three-putt on the 14th green marked the start of a poor run, which included a bogey at 15 and double bogey at 16.

A birdie at 18 took him back to +1 with a round of 72 but left him five off the lead and needing an outstanding second day.

Archibald began solidly, making par at the first ten holes before recording a birdie at 11. Once again he reached the green at the par five 14th in two but saw his eagle putt slide wide and made a birdie, before missing the green and recording a bogey at the next hole, a par three, and also failing to make par at 16.

“I just had a bad run towards the end of the first round and then I knew I needed to go out and make -4 in the second round,” Archibald said. “I felt that I was right in with a chance after ten or 11 holes but let myself get a bit deflated.”

Two other north Hampshire golfers, Andrew Cloke and Ben Cummings, failed to make it beyond regional qualifying.

Cummings was four off making it through at Ferndown, while Cloke was also four shots short, shooting 78 (+6) at Royal Ashdown Forest in Sussex.