OPEN Championship success appears to have opened a wealth of opportunities on the other side of the Atlantic for Dale Whitnell.

The Tiptree golfer has enjoyed a year of phenomenal success in the UK, with his first appearance at a Major tournament ending with a top-60 finish and then a run of top-five placings on the PGA EuroPro Tour in the latter part of the season.

Whitnell has placed himself in fifth, fourth and second in his last three outings on the UK-based professional tour, but it was his performance at the 141st Open Championship in July that really caught the eye this year. Having secured his place at Royal Lytham and St Annes by winning in final qualifying, Whitnell went on to make the cut and seal a 60th-place finish alongside superstar Rory McIlroy in the final standings.

And that performance has opened the opportunity for an exciting new chapter in the 24-year-old Five Lakes member’s career.

He said: “Because I made the cut at the Open, I have got a bye straight into the second stage of the US Q School.

“If I’m successful there I could get a place on the main US PGA Tour, so it’s a bit of a no-brainer whether to go or not really.

“I’ve decided to go to Southern Hills Plantation Club in Florida as my management company, which is based in the US, feel that will suit my game best.

“There are 80 guys and 20 go through to the final stage and with the form that I’ve had, I feel confident I can do that.

“A top 25 finish in final qualifying, which is in California, would mean a spot on the main PGA Tour, but just making the cut for the final two rounds would mean a place on the Nationwide Tour next year.

“That is the American equivalent of the Challenge Tour over here, but it’s actually much bigger and the prize money is huge.

“A top ten finish on the Nationwide Tour is like winning on the Challenge Tour so it’s very exciting."

Whitnell begins his PGA Tour Qualifying School attempt in Florida on November 11.