Dougherty - first major appearance (Getty Images)

Nick Dougherty could not be more excited about qualifying for next week's US Open at Pinehurst - the first major championship of his career.

The 23-year-old from Liverpool was among nine players to come through the first-ever European qualifier at Walton Heath on Monday and he said: "It feels awesome - better than when I won in Singapore in January.

"It's just wicked. People remember majors and finally getting in one is like another monkey off my back."

Dougherty, Rookie of the Year in Europe in 2002, has twice failed to qualify for the Open championship and does not yet have a place in next month's event at St Andrews.

"I really want to be there for Jack Nicklaus' last major, but doing this has taken some of the pressure off me.

"I'm going to fly to America on Saturday, soak it all up and not put any pressure on myself next week."

Dougherty became known as "Little Nick" because of the close relationship he had with Nick Faldo in his amateur days.

He will not be able to lean on the six-time major winner this time, though. Faldo did not enter the Walton Heath qualifier and told Dougherty it was because when he was at Pinehurst in 1999 (and missed the cut) the toughness of the upturned greens gave him "brain damage".

Dougherty's joy was all the greater because of how he survived yesterday's 36-hole test.

"On the first tee I told myself 'play well and you're in the US Open - you don't even have to win.' Then I shot 73 and it looked as though I wouldn't make it." Switching from the Old to the New course he was joint 38th of the 53-strong field.

"My second-round 66 was a great round and I'm so glad I came and practised on the courses. I know a lot didn't."

Dougherty, Luke Donald's partner in the 2001 Walker Cup win in America, finished on five under par and finished tied for fifth with New Zealander Michael Campbell, Portugal's Jose-Filipe Lima and Swedes Robert Karlsson and Peter Hedblom.

If one other player had come in on the same score they would have all gone into a play-off, but nobody did.

Jonathan Lomas and Simon Dyson were the other British players to come through. Lomas scored 68-66 for a 10 under aggregate that made him joint winner with Swede Peter Hansen, while Dyson was third on seven under and Dane Soren Kjeldsen one further back.

Yorkshireman Dyson has never played any tournament in America and now has to call off a holiday in Spain he had planned with his girlfriend.

"I went into the day with the attitude that if I didn't do it it was no big deal," he said. "But doing it is fantastic!"

He was s team-mate of Donald's at the 1999 Walker Cup and added: "I can't wait to ring him and tell him I'm coming over."

Lomas will be making his US Open debut at the age of 37 and has not played in the Open for eight years.

The Ayrshire-based player celebrated by going to a Neil Diamond concert in Glasgow last night and, since Pinehurst is in North Carolina, it was suggested to him that "Sweet Caroline" might be a particularly apt song.

Hedblom qualified in stunning fashion. Level par with only four holes to play, he holed a 162-yard seven-iron for an eagle two and then birdied the last three.

Karlsson, in contrast, broke his putter in half on the last green. On then discovering he could be in a play-off he borrowed another from Maarten Lafeber and was busy practising with it when he was told he was in.

Paul Lawrie, Steve Webster and Barry Lane were among those who did not make it and Lane was critical of the fact that only 53 played when a field of 100 could have been catered for on the two courses.

"Some people are just narrow-minded," said the former Ryder Cup player. "They are not showing any ambition when they don't bother to turn up. This might have been the one and only time in their career they got into the US Open.

"We're in a global game now. I think it's fantastic they've brought this qualifier in and it's a shame it's not been better supported."

Dougherty backed up Lane, saying: "I'm shocked and surprised. The US Open is a major and I want to be playing in majors.

"Other people must have something very important on if they didn't want to be here."