But to do so he will have to defeat some pretty illustrious company.
Barnes, 32, who works alongside Paul Eales at the Garstang club, will take part in local final qualifying on Monday and Tuesday week.

He had already qualified for that phase, having not had to take part in the mad-scramble that was regional qualifying on Wednesday.

The 36-hole final qualifying on Monday and Tuesday week sees 288 players compete at three Ayrshire courses for a mere 12 spots at Turnberry.

The fields there will include two Masters champions in Jose Maria Olazabal and Fred Couples, 1999 Open runner-up Jean Van de Velde and former European number one Ronan Rafferty.

Chris Geraghty, of St Annes Old Links, earned a place on the reserve list for the week after next, shooting 72 at Pleasington, though his chances of making into the line-up must be slim.

American amateur golfer Scott Pinckney produced a superb 63 to win the regional qualifier at Musselburgh.

Two ex-British amateur champions still have hopes of returning to the Open.

Gary Wolstenholme, who turned professional at the age of 48 late last year to prepare for Seniors golf, finished joint second in the qualifier at Pleasington and Warren Bladon, whose Amateur victory in 1996 was at Turnberry, won at Coventry.

There will be no going back to the links, however, for Guy McQuitty, who in 1986 scored 95 and 87 for a 42 over par total that nobody has topped since.

The 46-year-old, who two years ago had a kidney transplant and a heart pacemaker fitted, failed to make it through at Effingham in Surrey for the second year running.

American professional James Doucettperry did not have a happy time.
He began with a quintuple bogey nine at Abridge in Essex and ended up signing for a round of 98.

The other Fylde professionals and amateurs taking part in the qualifying process missed out.