A BIRKENHEAD factory worker will tee off alongside some of golf’s greatest stars this Thursday as he takes his place in The Open Championship.

John Singleton, from Moreton, qualified at Hillside after a four-man play-off when Yorkshire amateur Nick March couldn’t match par at the second extra hole.

The 30-year-old is now preparing to make his mark at Royal Liverpool when the prestigious tournament kicks off on Thursday.

John, who told the Globe he was delighted to have secured a place in the competition – which takes place just five minutes from his home – will tee off alongside USA’s Peter Uihlein and Scotland’s Marc Warren at 10.32am.

Speaking to the Globe earlier this month, John – a member of Eastham Lodge Golf Club who trains at Prenton Driving Range – said: "There's no pressure on me, I'm just going to go and soak up the atmosphere and really enjoy the support of my family."

John, who works five days a week at resin factory AEV in Birkenhead, started playing golf when he was 10 and turned professional in February.

Looking forward to tee-ing off on the fairway at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake later this month, he continued "I never imagined that five months after turning pro I'd be playing in the Open. It's very surreal.

"My place in the Open shows that all the hard work I've done over the years has paid off, especially as I have a full time job too.”

The eyes of the world will be on the Hoylake course this week, with more than 200,000 people expected to descend on the town.

One of the stars golfing fans will be hoping to see succeed is Tiger Woods, who won his third Claret Jug the last time the Open was staged at Royal Liverpool in 2006.

The former world number one has not tasted victory in a major since the 2008 US Open and only returned to action last month following back surgery in March.

He will tee off alongside Argentina’s Angel Cabrera and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson at 9.04am.

For more information about the Open, visit our dedicated section here.