Calling it one of the most improbable golf shots ever isn’t being hyperbolic.
On Tuesday, 20-year-old Richard Teder was in a 4-for-2 playoff at West Lancashire Golf Club just outside of Liverpool in final qualifying for the British Open. The world’s 91st-ranked amateur, on the third extra hole, hit a 340-yard drive and then holed a 90-yard eagle chip to earn a spot in the year’s final major.
The celebration that followed was almost as iconic as the shot itself.
“I don’t think it has kicked in yet,” Teder told theOpen.com. “I’m playing in the Open with all the best players in the world, and I like to think I belong there, so it’ll be fun.”
Moments like this define Final Qualifying.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 1, 2025
An incredible eagle for amateur golfer Richard Teder to secure a spot at The 153rd Open. pic.twitter.com/ljOVfXu6oV
Teder, who fell into the playoff with a double bogey on the final hole in regulation, is now the first Estonian to ever play in the British Open.
The northeastern European nation that borders Russia has a population of 1.3 million—and there are only 10 golf courses in the country.
Now, it can claim one of the British Open’s biggest Cinderella stories.
“It means everything [to qualify],” Teder said. “It means the world to me. I just can’t wait to get back home and celebrate and just get ready for the Open.”
The British Open begins Thursday, July 17, at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 20-Year-Old Notches British Open First By Holing Eagle Shot to Qualify .
