CLITHEROE'S Paul Dwyer faces an anxious few days as he waits to see whether he will be playing for a place in next week's Open Championship.

Dwyer missed out on an automatic berth in final qualifying by a whisker as he lost a play-off at Ormskirk on Monday.

But he is the 30th reserve for one of the 600 starting slots over the five courses in use in Scotland for 36 holes on Sunday and Monday which will decide who joins the exempt elite at St Andrews.

And there's every chance that Dwyer will join Ged Furey, Simon Townend, Jeff Mathews and Blackburn amateur Tony Jackson in the final qualifying phase.

"I'm told that last year 48 reserves got in so I'm pretty optimistic about my chances of getting in," said Dwyer, who thought he'd done enough in regional qualifying to avoid the waiting list.

He added: "I was in the second group out at ten past seven and after shooting a 71 thought I would easily get in.

"But the weather got better and a few came in and beat me at the last minute.

"I went into a play-off from being a near certainty and didn't make it."

However, hope springs eternal and Dwyer plans to be close at hand should he get a call to have his third crack at making the Open field.

"I'm going up to Loch Lomond to spend a couple of days there so if they do ring me I'm only an hour away.

"I'll be keeping in touch and I'll be ready. You've got to be because it is the biggest event of the year. "I'm playing pretty steady golf and there's no reason if I do get in that I can't go through," he said.

Furey led the pace at Ormskirk with a 66 and he's delighted to have been sent to Ladybank as he tries to repeat his 1988 Open appearance.

"It was the one I wanted. It's inland and it's the tightest course and my game is suited to hitting fairways and greens.

"I feel good and I feel my time is due.

"With just missing out last year it was nice to come through and to have another crack at it," said the Pleasington pro, who is in action in the Leeds Cup this week before heading north of the border for a practice round on Saturday ahead of the real thing.

He will be joined at the Fife course by Simon Townend, who missed out on a place at Carnoustie a year ago after slipping off the pace in the second round of final qualifying.

And Townend, who led the field along with Mathews at Alwoodley on Monday, believes he has a chance of making it to St Andrews provided he can keep dropped shots off his card.

The Wilpshire player said: "I wasn't playing too well early on in the season but over the last few weeks it's just started to come back again.

"I'm optimistic if I can cut out the bogeys. I've been making lots of birdies in every round but also making some silly bogeys.

"If I can cut those out I'm optimistic I can get through."

Mathews, of the Blackburn Driving Range, will tee it up with the other hopefuls at Lundin, while Jackson also makes his bid at Ladybank and David Shacklady of Leisure Lakes is at Scotscraig.