BIRCHWOOD professional golfer Phil Archer has rounded off the most incredible week of his career by qualifying for next week's US Open.

Archer will play his first major tournament at Winged Foot in the state of New York between June 15 and 18 after coming through qualifying in a week that also saw him shoot 60 at the Celtic Manor Wales Open to match the all-time European Tour lowest round.

That eclipsed the in-form Birchwood Golf Club professional's previous best round of 65 on the European Tour and gave him confidence to take into US Open's English qualifying tournament at Walton Heath in Surrey on Monday.

Needing to finish in the top eight for a place in one of the world's four biggest tournaments, which will include all of the sport's top stars, Archer shot 69 to put himself in joint fourth position after the first round.

A second round of 71 left him competing with four others in a play-off for two places, but four pars were enough to give him a spot in the US Open.

The 34-year-old, who will also bid for his first Open Championship appearance when he competes in international qualifying at Sunningdale on June 26, told the official European Tour website: "There have been quite a few pluses in the last six weeks and this tops it off, to get in my first major.

"I always thought The Open would be it and never dreamed it would be the US Open.

"It has been a long six weeks and was quite draining with 36 holes on Monday to finish it off but getting into the US Open is fantastic. There is a feeling of relief and pleasure."

Archer, who lives in Newton, has had to hastily cancel two weeks off to compete at Winged Foot and will fly out at the weekend.

His recent form will give him great hope although he could not hold on to the first-round lead he gained at Celtic Manor.

It could even have been a new European Tour record of 59 had he not missed an eight-foot putt on the last hole.

Archer still became the 13th person to shoot a 60 and further rounds of 68, 71 and 67 put him in joint fifth at the end of the Newport tournament, lifting him to 37th in the European Order of Merit.