Brandel Chamblee stepped outside the broadcast booth on Monday in Scotland, and he qualified for the 2018 Senior British Open, earning his first PGA Tour Champions start and his first appearance in any significant golf tournament in a decade.
In the 18-hole qualifier at Scotscraig -- one of four held on the day to round out the Senior Open Championship field at St. Andrews -- Chamblee was co-medalist with John Inman and English amateur Robert Maxfield on 2-under 69.
Chamblee was among seven golfers to qualify for the tournament.
The long-time Golf Channel analyst had telegraphed his desire to try to qualify for the Senior British Open at 56 years old. He spent significant time overseas ahead of the 2018 British Open Championship to acclimate himself to the style of golf and get plenty of practice for the 18-hole event.
Chamblee played 14 full seasons on the PGA Tour, winning the 1998 Greater Vancouver Open. Now, after a decade-and-a-half of criticizing swings, strategy and everything golf, he's about to subject himself to the same from all the names he has scorched over the years. So why do it? He did it at the urging of his wife, Golf Channel host Bailey Mosier-Chamblee, who challenged her husband to rediscover his playing talent.
“I love doing my job, but I want to see if I can make full use of all the time I’m off,” he told Golf.com. “I just want to see if I’m able to put to use all the things I’ve been studying for years and years and years. And use myself as a guinea pig.”
Apparently, all he has studied and learned in the last 15 years paid off for one afternoon. Now, how about the Senior Open?