IT WAS back down to earth for Blackwood’s Bradley Dredge this week as he missed out on qualifying for the US Open.

The 42-year-old Gwent golfer won €347,420 after finishing in a tie for second place at the Irish Open on May 22.

But he missed the cut at the BMW PGA Championship after shooting a three over par round of 75 followed by a level par 72 at Wentworth at the weekend.

And Dredge also missed out at the US Open qualifier at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey on Monday.

He hit a 72 followed by a 73 to finish 10 shots behind the winner – France’s Grégory Bourdy.

The four-time European Tour winner finished two shots clear of Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg.

Bourdy followed a five under par 67 around the New Course in the morning with a four under par 68 around the Old Course to head the 13 players earning spots at Oakmont Country Club.

Lundberg, a three-time European Tour winner, will make his major championship debut after finishing on seven under par overall in cold and blustery conditions in Surrey.

Bourdy’s compatriots Gary Stal and Romain Wattel will join him in the field after both finishing on four under par, where they were matched by Sweden’s Alex Noren.

Englishman Andrew Johnston delighted local crowds by clinching his spot in what will be his debut tournament in America and his compatriot Lee Slattery also qualified after two rounds of 69.

Ryder Cup hero Peter Hanson put a couple of injury-hampered years behind him to earn qualification on three under par alongside Italy’s Matteo Manassero, still only 23 but now set for his fourth US Open appearance.

A dramatic five-man play-off followed to determine the final three qualifiers, with Max Kieffer holing from the bunker on the first hole to secure his spot before Soren Hansen birdied the second, where Johan Edfors’ bogey dropped him out of the running.

That left Jeev Milka Singh and Sebastian Soderberg and they both missed putts to win on the third and fourth play-off holes respectively before Soderberg – riding high on the Challenge Tour this season – birdied to earn a maiden Major Championship appearance.

Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, announced last week as one of Darren Clarke’s vice-captains for this year’s Ryder Cup, bogeyed his final two holes to miss out on the deciding play-off by one shot.