Ex-Premier League star attempting to qualify for The Open

With fresh inspiration from a rather impressed Colin Montgomerie, Jimmy Bullard is back attempting to qualify for The Open this summer.

Bullard, 47, is best known as the charismatic former Premier League midfielder, playing for clubs including Wigan, Fulham and Hull City.

Since hanging up his boots in 2012, though, it’s all been about golf. The Englishman, a scratch-level player, made five starts on the now defunct EuroPro tour between 2014 and 2016.

Now an integral member of the popular Golf Life YouTube channel, Bullard finished 30th in a one-round event on the Clutch Pro Tour last year on his return to the mini tours.

During that tournament, Bullard had  plans to enter regional qualifying for The Open at Royal Troon.

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Pros and amateurs with a scratch handicap or better can pay an £150 entry fee to compete in regional events before final qualifying, with Bullard earmarked to play at Rochester and Cobham Park.

But Bullard had to withdraw just before the first stage with a back injury.

“I’ve had to pull out,” he told his followers on Instagram. “So gutted boys and girls, my back has completely gone.”

This year, however, Bullard’s dream to play in golf’s oldest major is back on.

He has stated his intention to enter regional qualifying once more and, in a new video on Golf Life, has enlisted the help of revered coach Hugh Marr to take his game to the next level.

“Done my back [last year], played too much golf so I’ve got to manage that,” he admitted.

“But I think that’s just a one off to be honest. I don’t really get injured do I? Quest for The Open, yes. But a quest to make me a better golfer.

“I feel like the game of golf, I’ve got to the ceiling of what I know. All my scores are like level par, one-under, I’ve reached my ceiling.

“How do I get to the next level shooting four, five, six under? Is it available to me with my ability? I don’t know. But I feel I’ve come to the end where I need a coach. I’ve exhausted all the stuff I know.”

Plenty are already along with Bullard for the ride, with over 175,000 views on the engaging coaching video with Marr in under a fortnight.

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Bullard is realistic about his outside chances of making it through regional and final qualifying, all the way to Royal Portrush in July.

But ‘Bulldog’ is certainly not lacking for support on his mission to become a better golfer.

Pros including Lee Westwood and Ewen Ferguson have lavished praise on Bullard, while former Ryder Cup captain Montgomerie even suggested he has the ability to play on the Champions Tour.

“Very little you have to work on,” Montgomerie told Bullard in a recent video.

“You’ve got great hands. You’ve got good speed. When you talk about 111, 112 miles an hour club head speed – that is PGA Tour stuff, never mind Champions Tour stuff.

“If you’re asking the question to me – who hopefully knows a little about the tour – I’m telling you, you are plenty good enough to compete with the legends of the Champions Tour. Already. And that’s without the next three years of giving it loads of graft.”

Ben Parsons is the Senior Writer at bunkered and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.