Gregory eyeing second US Open appearance

The Corhampton Golf Club talent heads to Walton Heath on Monday bidding to clinch a berth at the tournament at Shinnecock Hills, New York, on June 14.

Gregory played in the US Open last year via an invitation for winning the British Amateur Championship in 2016.

Although he failed to make the cut, it whet his appetite to be involved in the prestigious competition again.

Fifteen places are up for grabs, with players such as Lee Westwood – who has finished third at the US Open on two occasions – in the reckoning.

Qualifying will take place on the new course at Walton Heath, Surrey.

Gregory, 23, is yet to experience the new addition but knows making a solid start will be crucial.

The Waterlooville ace said: ‘Everyone who plays golf wants to be involved in majors.

‘It’s important to try to play as many as you can and it’s a big motivator having already played in the US Open.

‘It makes you want to get there even more.

‘There’s a lot of good names going as well, so I could get quite a nice draw, which would be good.

‘At the moment people like Lee Westwood and Eddie Pepperell are playing.

‘There’s going to be a lot of European Tour players involved so it should be good fun.

‘I’ve played at Walton Heath quite a lot – I just haven’t played the new course.

‘So I’m going there on Sunday to play it but the old course I’ve played plenty of times.

‘The new course is one I know you can shoot some pretty good scores on – and there’s going to be quite a few people going up to watch me, which should be good.

‘The two courses are different. The old one is a lot tougher and you’ve got to try to keep your score and plot your way around. In contrast, the new course can be a bit of a birdie fest.

‘By the sounds of things and looking at previous scores it’s going to be important to get off to a good start.’

Gregory goes into the tournament on the back of missing the cut on the Challenge Tour in the Czech Republic.

However, he feels in good form and is confident he can qualify for this year’s US Open.

Gregory added: ‘If things click into place then there’s no reason why I can’t qualify.

‘It’s hard to explain because it’s not like any part of my game is falling apart. Everything feels like it’s in a nice place, but I’ve just got to keep plugging away.

‘I’ve been confident every week. Without hitting the ball, there’s no reason why I can’t qualify – I’ve just got to go out there and shoot a couple of good rounds and go from there.’