BROADSTONE professional Luke Joy is one step closer to playing in his first major after winning the Open Regional Qualifying event at Remedy Oak yesterday.

Joy carded five birdies in an impressive three-under-par 69 to reach the Local Final Qualifying stage for a second successive year.

“It was a solid round and it was good to play well in front of a local crowd,” said Joy, who won a play-off at Ferndown in 2012.

“It was an exceptionally well run tournament and a lot of credit must go to Nigel (Tokely) and his team at Remedy Oak,” added Joy, who plies his trade on the Europro Tour.

The 25-year-old was two strokes clear of the only other player to break par – Wiltshire professional Charlie Cossins (Cumberwell Park).

Joy and Cossins claimed two of the 11 places up for grabs from the Remedy Oak event which was one of 14 qualifying courses nationwide.

Also through to Local Final Qualifying in Scotland are Dorset amateur Tom Robson (Weymouth) who finished third with a level par 72, and Canford Magna professional Paul Jones, who was one of six players to score 74.

Ten players qualified after 18 holes, leaving four players tied on 75 to play off for the final place, with Danny White (Players Club) winning at the first extra hole.

Parkstone professional Martyn Thompson, bidding to play in his third Open championship, was one of the unlucky trio to miss out.

The qualifiers will play on one of the four courses on July 2 – Dunbar, Gullane No 1, North Berwick, and The Musselburgh – in an attempt to win one of the few available places at each venue for The Open at Muirfield (July 18-21).