Black day (and night) for Scots in Sunningdale qualifier

Clarke, McGinley, Olazabal fail
Open European qualifying test

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Jose Maria Olazabal was knocked out of the Open Championship European qualifier at the third play-off hole at Sunningdale this evening - and is now set to take another lengthy break from golf.
Having teed off in the 36-hole event at 6.30am, the double Masters champion bogeyed to lose to England's Simon Dyson and Peter Baker at 8.50pm. Former Ryder Cup player Baker, now 40, had holed a 40ft birdie putt on the last to get into the sudden-death shoot-out.
Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley, Olazabal's Ryder Cup team-mates two years ago, failed to make it through as well, but will now try to make it to Royal Birkdale by finishing in the top five either at this week's European Open or next week's Scottish Open.
The Spaniard, who hit back from an opening 71 with a second-round 65, is still struggling with fatigue after returning in March from seven months out with rheumatism.
His last appearance just over a month ago saw him miss the cut in the BMW PGA Championship for the first time in his career and he said: "I'm going home to take a rest and see if everything keeps improving.
"Because it's The Open it was a good reason to come, but it was basically a test for me. I haven't played at all and can't practise much, so I wasn't really expecting great things.
"The doctors have taken one of my medicines away, but we have to do this gradually to see if I improve. It's going to take two months at least to see if my body is cured. I feel like practising, but I just get tired and can't hit balls and play 18 holes in the same day.
"But at least my lower back is not getting as tight as it did before and that's positive. I have to really look for those signs."
Clarke, who shot 74-70 to miss by eight, commented: "I'm obviously bitterly disappointed, but in fairness I got what I deserved."
McGinley returned a one-under total, while last year's leading amateur Rory McIlroy was two under and also failed to qualify.
Best of the 18 qualifiers were England's Simon Wakefield and Argentina's Ariel Canete on seven under. Other British qualifiers were Ross Fisher, Paul Waring, Anthony Wall, David Horsey and Phillip Archer.

Black day for Scots at Sunningdale
NICK RODGER REPORTS:
Alastair Forsyth's hopes of a trip to Royal Birkdale for this month's Open championship were dashed in a play-off in the international final qualifier at Sunningdale.
The 32-year-old from Paisley slipped to a bogey 5 at the first hole of a six-man shoot-out after narrowly missing out on an automatic place by a single shot.Forsyth had opened his 36-hole qualifying campaign with a rousing five-under 65 over the Old course but the two-time European Tour winner slipped back in the afternoon with a damaging 71 which left him with a four-under aggregate of 136.
That pushed the Scot into a sudden-death play-off with double Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal, Peter Baker, Ross McGowan, Simon Dyson and Chris Rodgers.
Forsyth was the first to exit when he pulled his seven-iron approach to the first into the bunker and failed to get up and down for his par.
"After a five-under opening round I should have been in easy but I didn't finish it off," said Forsyth. "I hit everything in the morning but the afternoon was different. The seven-iron approach in the play-off was a big, dirty pull and that was it. It's the same old story."
Forsyth was one of seven Scots who failed to secure one of the 18 Birkdale places up for grabs. Marc Warren and Gary Orr both missed out on 138s while Stephen Gallacher and Steven O'Hara finished with 140s. Euan Little came in at 143 with Peter Whiteford three strokes further back on 146.
US Tour-based Scot Martin Laird missed out on an Open place in yesterday's American qualifiers. American Paul Goydos, who has won more than £4million in his home country, will make his first Open appearance after carding 13 under.