POULTON Park Golf Club's Martin McBride could be in contention for a trip to play at the 2005 US Open venue.

McBride, who has a handicap of 14, may have earned a chance to play at the prestigious Pinehurst Golf Club in North Carolina after taking part in a national competition.

The last five holes of his normal Sunday round at Poulton Park counted towards the Red Bull Final5 competition, with the leading 40 players in the country qualifying for Pinehurst.

McBride completed the five holes in almost five shots less than his handicap and is currently tied 23rd on the national leaderboard.

He said: "I wasn't playing that well when I came to the last five holes but the extra competition just seemed to spur me."