Lee Westwood has successfully booked his return to The Open Championship after a three-year absence, winning his qualifier at Dundonald Links. The 52-year-old posted impressive scores of 70 and 67, finishing seven under par in challenging conditions at Ayrshire.

Across four different courses, Westwood was one of eight Englishmen to claim the 20 available spots at Royal Portrush, set to take place from 17-20 July. Meanwhile, amateur Richard Teder made history by becoming the first Estonian to qualify for The Open, achieving this in dramatic fashion at West Lancashire in Liverpool.

After a first-round two-under-par 70, Teder was five under through 17 holes but double bogeyed the 18th for a 69, dropping into a four-way play-off for the last two spots. He then holed out an eagle from 80 yards to secure his spot on the third play-off hole. Teder, ranked 91st in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, finished fifth at last month's Amateur Championship.

Westwood, a former world number one, will be playing in his 28th Open and 93rd major. Reflecting on his return, Westwood said, "I've always said it's the greatest championship in golf. As a British player, you get phenomenal support and I really enjoyed Portrush last time."

He added, "I won't really have any expectations. I'm playing at Valderrama next week in LIV and I'll try and sharpen my game up. I think of any major championship, you can compete on links courses as a senior. Tom Watson proved that around Turnberry in 2009 and then Greg Norman a couple of years later at Birkdale. You have to use a bit of cunning and guile with the wind."

In other news, Ian Poulter and his son Luke missed out on qualifying at Royal Cinque Ports, both finishing in a tie for 13th on one under par. Graeme McDowell, another Ryder Cup veteran and LIV player, also missed out on the chance to play a second Open at his hometown course.

English trio Nathan Kimsey, Curtis Knipes, and Sebastian Cave were among the top five finishers in Kent, while Harry Hall, Frazer Jones, and OJ Farrell secured their spots at Burnham & Berrow. George Bloor also qualified, finishing third on six under par at West Lancashire.

This year's Open promises to be an exciting event with seasoned players like Westwood and newcomers like Teder making their mark. Stay tuned for more updates as the championship approaches.