John Singleton

Talk about how one day of golf can change a person's whole life, that is the story of John Singelton. He is a factory worker who works five days a week in a resin factory just minutes away from Hoylake. Before last week's qualifying tournament Singelton's only connection to this years Open championship was that he was going to be a volunteer marshall at the Open Championship but now instead of tending to the spectators he will be playing for the spectators.
Singelton's dream was to be a golfer and he went off to America to fulfill that dream in 2003 when he attended Rendlake College in southern Illinois. Things didn't pan out as after attending college he turned professional in 2015 and a combination of being home sick and a knee ligament injury brought him back to Wirral, England in 2007. Back in England he had a serious of operations to repair both knees and gave up the dream of being a professional golfer when he became a reinstated amateur in 2010 and took a full time job. For a while he lived with his parents, but then moved in with his girlfriend last July. They are planing on getting married and Lucy will have their child in August.
For over a year Singelton has been a production worker making thick resin, which goes over wires and makes them water proof. He goes to work at the Birkenhead plant, just ten minutes from Hoylake at 8 in the morning and when he finishes at 4:30 heads off to practice at Eastham Lodge Golf Club which is located in Wirral.
Because the Open is near his home he decided to spend the 140 pounds to try and qualify and with his dad as his caddie they missed out in regional qualifying by a single shot. As faith has it despite being a reserve he was still able to get into final qualifying, tying for the third spot and getting in a playoff which he won on the second hole when Yorkshire amateur Chris Marsh dropped out not making a par on the second playoff hole. Another feel-good story from the qualifying, his wedges were in such a bad state that he needed to borrow two from a friend to get him through qualifying.
For Singelton he will only have a five minute commute as his Wallasey home is just down the road from Hoylake.