Kent golfer Tom Sherreard played beyond his amateur status at the 137th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale to not only make the cut but to also record a very respectable 14-over-par for the weekend.

The Maidstone player's four round total of 294 bettered such golfing stars as Justin Rose and Lee Westwood and he ended his stint on Sunday with a flourish by hitting an eagle three on the par five 17th and then taking a birdie on the final hole.

Sherreard, a 20-year-old amateur who is on a golf scholarship in Atlanta, Georgia, in the USA, plays at Chart Hills near Ashford when in the UK.

He opened the championship in the middle of strong winds and heavy rain with a seven-over-par 77 - ahead of the likes of world No.2 Phil Mickelson, former Open champion Ernie Els and former Masters champion Vijay Singh.

A majestic one-under-par 69 second round saw him become one of only two amateurs to make the cut and while he struggled to a 76 in the third round, his 72 two-over-par fourth round - with that amazing two-hole finish - will leave him as the second highest amateur out of the five who started the championship.

Fellow Kent golfer and five-year pro Peter Appleyard from the Wildernesse Club in Sevenoaks failed to make the cut after carding a 74 and 76 to finish 10-over-par after two rounds.

He struggled in particular on the par-four sixth hole where he double-bogeyed on both rounds.