Tree-mendous Toby ready for Open bow

Open qualifier Toby Tree

Qualifying for the Open has given Toby Tree the chance to step into the limelight – and he is ready for it.

The Englishman will get his first taste of a major at Royal Birkdale, which he concedes will mark a drastic step up from the rigours of the Challenge Tour.

Having qualified at Woburn alongside compatriot Ian Poulter, the 23-year-old is now relishing the prospect of rubbing shoulders with the golfing elite.

But he is determined to do more than just make up the numbers on a star-studded leaderboard.

See you at Birkdake @TheOpen https://t.co/j74Gm7aP9z

— Toby Tree (@TobiasTree) July 5, 2017

"The qualifying has given me the opportunity, but the next step is to play half-decent and then that'll sort of change a few things," Tree told Omnisport.

"It's nice to actually get the reward to be able to play on the big stage and compare myself against the top players.

"The Challenge Tour is a great tour, it's very competitive, it's tough, but it's not very glamorous so it's nice to play in a big event which is a bit more glamorous and there'll be a lot of people watching. You don't get much higher profile.

"I played junior Ryder Cup when I was an amateur, which was pretty cool. But I suppose as a pro I haven't given myself an opportunity like this yet.

"I've never been to an Open championship or a major myself as a player or a spectator so I have no idea what it's going to be like."

Ranked 622nd in the world, few will fancy Tree to outperform the likes of Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and reigning Open champion Henrik Stenson.

But that does not mean Tree will not be setting his own sights high on what he hopes will be the first of many outings at a major.

"There's pressure to perform. It's great to get in the event, but I don't really want to turn up and think it's a prize to play; the prize would be to perform and compete and do well in it," he said.

"I'm going to enjoy it in the practice days, but then a tournament's a tournament and I don't enjoy not performing well, so if I'm not playing well and not competing, I won't be enjoying it as much as I would like. 

"As an amateur my ambitions were to do a lot of things in the pros and take off where I left off as an amateur. I got to the top 10 as an amateur so I haven't really reached that as a pro.

"I definitely don't want it to be my only British Open, that's for sure."