Oxfordshire duo Adam Wootton and Craig Hinton were left stunned after qualifying for The Open at Royal St George’s.

Wootton, a 23-year-old professional from Oxford and amateur Hinton, 22, from Thame, produced the form of their lives to reach golf’s oldest major, which starts on July 14.

Hinton, who plays at The Oxfordshire and is an England squad member, won local final qualifying at Royal Cinque Ports after rounds of 69 and 70 gave him a five-under-par total.

Wootton, who works at the Oxford Golf Centre and is a member at Southfield, came second in his qualifier at Rye where rounds of 63 and 68 also put him on five under.

He faced an anxious wait to see if it would be enough.

“It was probably the longest one and a half hours of my life,” he said. “It was finally over at 9.30pm. I was just ecstatic. It was a brilliant feeling.

“I can’t wait for The Open now.”

Wootton finished three shots behind amateur Tom Lewis, while big names to miss out across the four venues included Michael Campbell, Paul Broadhurst and Jarmo Sandelin.

Oxford Golf Centre manager Mark Walker caddied for Wootton at Rye and will be on his bag at Sandwich.

Hinton’s qualification, which he achieved despite bogeying the last two holes, came two years after suffering a short spell of blindness.

He explained: “I was at an airport with the England squad in Spain, but was so ill I was taken to hospital and went blind for a brief time.

“It took eight months to get properly well again.

“Then this February during the Spanish Amateur, I was in intensive care for a week. It was myopericarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart.

“The doctors said it would take six months to a year to get over it fully, but after three months I started playing again and in the first event back I was ninth at the Welsh Amateur.

“After everything I have been through, it is unbelievable to be in The Open.”

Eddie Pepperell, from Abingdon, was one shot off making a play-off at Littlestone after rounds of 69 and 71.