Former snooker world champion Shaun Murphy turns to golf as he enters Open 2019 qualifying
SHAUN MURPHY has swapped 15 reds for 18 greens as snooker's ex-world champion launches a "crazy" bid to qualify for golf's 2019 Open.
The England star, 36, is eligible to compete after battling hard to become an amateur golfer playing off scratch.
But the 2005 Crucible king has put in the hours to get his handicap down to scratch - and wants to try his luck at reaching the highest possible stage before it is too late.
He said: "It is very hard to maintain a scratch handicap whilst having a full time snooker career, a young family and all the rest of it.
"I won’t be off scratch for much longer so I thought I should take my opportunity while I am still eligible.”
“It isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that I could go out there and shoot level par and get through to the final stage of qualifying.
"That would be extremely unlikely, but I have done it before. My best round of golf is four under par.
“If I even managed to progress to the next stage it would be crazy really.