ROYAL Liverpool amateur Matthew Dodd-Berry quit football to concentrate on golf and his reward is an Open debut at Troon.

The 20-year-old, who admits he qualified 12 months late as last year his home club hosted the event, described himself as “a good left-back but an elite golfer” and that was what made his mind up.

Having missed out in Final Qualifying last summer the former Tranmere academy player returned to West Lancashire Golf Club in Crosby, Liverpool, a fortnight ago to shoot six-under for 36 holes for joint first place.

That booked his spot at Royal Troon and justified the decision he took in his mid-teens.

“At one point I was playing football, rugby for my school and golf. In rugby I kind of learned the guys were getting bigger and I wasn’t so it was like ‘I’ll pass, I don’t want to get injured’,” he said.

“I was a good football player but I was an elite golfer so I fancied my chances more at golf than football: there are some pretty good football players out there and I was just a good left-back.

“I made a good decision.”

Dodd-Berry has spent the last two years on a scholarship at East Tennessee State University where he was Southern Conference freshman of the year – which he ranked as his biggest success before Open qualification – but is now transferring to Louisiana State.

He regrets missing out on playing an Open on his home course and thought he was in for double disappointment after coming up short in last month’s Amateur Championship.

“I’ve done it a year late, I wish I’d done it last year when it was at Hoylake. But I can’t wait,” he added.

“Just the other week I got knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Amateur and I was like ‘It’s probably the best opportunity I was going to have in my amateur career to play in the Open’ and then I went to West Lancs and qualified. That’s my reward for good golf.”

So has he any plans to try to sneak a practice round with some of golf’s biggest names?

“As a golfer I’ve always loved Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka, their attitude is great,” said the former Wirral Grammar School pupil.

“I could pencil it in – but they might rub it out!”