Thomas Levet came up with the round of his life to win the Barclays Scottish Open and with it a place in this week's Open at Royal Troon.

Seven strokes behind with 18 holes to go, the 35-year-old from Paris came within a stroke of the Loch Lomond course record with a dazzling 63.

Trying and failing to hold back the tears Levet said: "It's just unreal. I so desperately wanted to play the Open. More than anyone.

"When you play like this it is a dream come true. Every shot I was trying to play was coming off and even the bad ones didn't finish too badly.

"A win is a win, but playing in the Open is something else."

As well as giving Levet the £366,660 first prize and a return to the event in which he lost a play-off to Ernie Els at Muirfield two years ago, it could lead to Europe having two French players in the Ryder Cup in September with Jean-Francois Remesy seventh in the table after winning the French Open last month.

Brighton-based New Zealander Michael Campbell was Levet's main danger. He was out on his own in front after birdies at the 12th and 13th but followed with successive bogeys before behind he narrowly failed with birdie putts on the final two greens.

Gary Evans and Matthew Hazelden will carry the flag for Sussex at Royal Troon after none of the county's players got through final qualifying at the weekend.

Former Ryder Cup captain Mark James won just over £200,000 - the biggest cheque of his career - after winning the Ford Senior Players Championship in Michigan last night.

James shot a final-round 73 to finish on 13 under par and win by one shot from Spain's Jose Maria Canizares.

Bristol's John Morgan today received an apology from the US Tour after they made the mistake of telling him he was playing in this week's Open.

Morgan lost a play-off with Australian Mark Hensby at the John Deere Classic in Illinois.

Hensby had already decided he did not want the Open place up for grabs and the US PGA Tour gave it to Morgan before realising it should have gone to Scot Barry Hume instead.

That was because Hensby's exemption passed not to the next person in the event, but to the first reserve from the final qualifying in Scotland.