ONE of the most successful amateur golfers who use StrokeAverage.com to monitor their golf stats has his sights set on winning the Silver Medal for the leading amateur at the 137th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.

Long Ashton’s England international golfer Chris Wood came through Final Qualifying with his dad Richard on the bag last week to book his debut in the Open Championship, after carding rounds of 71 and 72.

The golfer currently ranked seventh in the World Amateur Golf Rankings told BBC Bristol: “Winning the silver medal is an aim of mine. To be at the closing ceremony with the winner would be a great honour.

“I can't wait to walk down the 18th. Me and my dad took a look and it's amazing with all the stands,” said the Welsh Open Strokeplay Amateur Champion.

Chris Wood just missed out on qualifying for the Open Championship at Hoylake Golf Club two years ago. “I missed by a couple of shots and I was so disappointed then,” he said. “But to do it this year is amazing.”

Chris Wood, a member of the England amateur golf squad, has already had some success playing on the European Tour finishing 37th in the Russian Open last year, and finished fourth in the 36-hole qualifying at the European Team Championships in Turin, where England lost to Ireland in the final last week.

But the chance to play alongside some of the biggest names in the world of golf ranks as the biggest success so far for the 20-year-old from Bristol, who has his eyes set on playing in next year’s Walker Cup in America before turning pro.

"Hopefully next year I will play in the Walker Cup, which is the peak of the amateur game," he said. "A few of my friends have just turned pro and it's great to see those guys doing so well. It gives you a lot of confidence."

After his final practice round on Wednesday the Bristol youngster will be able to take in a good luck message from the man who won the silver medal as leading amateur back in 1984 when Seve Ballesteros won his first Open Championship at St Andrews.

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