Unemployed, broke and living with his mother, Gary Wolstenholme has little going for him. At 48, the Englishman gazes in wonder at the lifestyles of the sport's super rich, many of them his former Walker Cup team-mates, and can only guess what it is like to walk in their shoes.

This week he has a chance to get alongside the elite after qualifying as first reserve for the 108th US Open that starts tomorrow at Torrey Pines, near San Diego. So why the long face?

Things got off to a terrible start for Wolstenholme the moment he turned up on Sunday only to find that he was not allowed to play any practice rounds on the 7,643-yard course, the longest in the history of the championship. Add to that an “official” $99-a-night hotel miles from the course and with no transport supplied - the other players have courtesy cars for the week - and he has been left counting the cost. If he gets in, all will be forgotten, but Wolstenholme is feeling abandoned.

On Monday evening he was sitting alone in the locker-room, tucking into the free sandwiches. “That's to tide me over for the night because I can't afford to eat out,” he said.

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The United States Golf Association, the tournament organiser, he says, has let him down. “They said, ‘Get over here, Gary, and we'll look after you.' But I've been dropped like a hot potato,” he said. “They're effectively saying, ‘If you can't afford it, you shouldn't have come.' I hugely regret coming over. It's cost me a lot of money. I'm sure the R&A would have been more helpful.”

One player many are watching with interest is Adam Scott, who has been paired with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The Australian recently broke the little finger on his right hand and there was speculation that he would be forced to pull out. If he did so, Wolstenholme could play with the top two players in the world. That he once beat Woods in a Walker Cup singles match would count for nothing.

If he does not get into the field, Wolstenholme will fly back to the UK on Friday and get himself to Turnberry for the Amateur Championship, which he has won twice, that begins on Monday. For him, it would be a home from home.