The 144th Open: Mansfield’s Greg Owen a happy man, grateful for support from Nottingham Forest fans, reveals triathlon plans

Mansfield’s Greg Owen is a happy man after finishing thr 144th Open at St Andrews with a flourish.

A three under par round of 69 on Monday left Owen seven under for the tournament, after rounds of 68, 73 and 71.

Having been frustrated on Sunday, when he couldn’t spark any momentum, Owen was in a much more positive frame of mind after stepping off the 18th green for the final time this week.

“It was good, I fully enjoyed it,” he said.

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“You know, it’s The Open, I love playing off this kind of turf, the hard turf. You can definitely tell if you’re hitting the ball well or not.

“But I am ready to get home.”

The Florida resident had gone into the major tournament wanting to test himself at the very top level of world golf.

“Just proved to myself that I’ve still got game to play out there,” he said.

“Age isn’t really a factor for me, as long as I can stay warm and keep my back pretty smooth.

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“I’m actually really happy the way I putted in the wind, and under the pressure playing The Open.

“I wanted to play well, so that helps, that gives me confidence.”

He expressed gratitude to the fans who had backed him during the event, specifically those who share his football allegiance.

“It’s nice to know that people still recognise me because I’m not a household name.

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“I’m not stupid, I know I’m not a world beater or anything but I feel like I’ve had a good career, and for people to follow me and wish me well, I’m really appreciative.

“It was great. I mean, there’s Forest fans everywhere in the world.

“The history is huge, and the fact that people know I’m a Forest fan as well is great, because I do love the team.

“I’ve got the logo on my golf ball every week.

“I wish I could get to see them more, but I follow them and hopefully we’ll be playing Premiership football soon.”

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At the age of 43 Owen still has plenty of golf left in him, but he’s already eyeing up life beyond the course.

Formerly a top-rated junior tennis player, Owen has sporting goals in yet another sport.

“I’ve got a few plans, what I want to do when I finish,” he said.

“I want to compete in a triathlon, so I’ve got a long way to go for that.

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“I’ve just got to finish golf, get comfortable that the time is right, that it’s time to finish, which isn’t yet, and then do a few things with the family and the wife that I’ve missed out on these 20 years of play.”