Paul Waring

Paul Waring is back at The Open for the first time since 2021 – and for only the sixth occasion in his long career – after his impressive performance at November’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The pressure was on after he set a new DP World Tour record with opening rounds of 64 and 61, and he held off the star-studded chasing pack and with two closing birdies to win by two.

It improved his world ranking from 229th to 105th and his Race to Dubai position from 48th to fifth, which in turn earned him a PGA Tour card for this season.

Waring played at Royal Portrush in 2019 thanks to his efforts in the Irish Open earlier in the month. Three Championship spots were on offer as part of The Open Qualifying Series and a joint-seventh finish proved good enough with four of the players ahead of him already exempt.

He also qualified for Carnoustie in 2007 as an amateur and a year later he was joint 19th at Royal Birkdale. His next appearance in 2017 came courtesy of a joint runner-up finish at the Joburg Open.

Waring was English amateur champion in 2005 at the Bromborough course near his birthplace Birkenhead, and was twice on the winning Britain and Ireland boys team against Continental Europe.

Sport runs in the family, and his mother Gill swam for England.