JORDAN Smith admits three weeks away from competition will serve his physical and mental strength well after missing out on US Open qualification this week.

Smith, 25, was in with a chance of qualifying for the second major of the year at Shinnecock Hills next week after shooting three under-par in his first round at Walton Heath Golf Club on Monday afternoon.

But the Derry Hill player lost sight of a top 16 qualification spot after dropping shots at the ninth, 12th and 15th.

It left a sour taste to what had been a positive weekend for Smith, after he finished in the top 10 at the Italian Open in Brescia.

Fine-tuning his technique and catching up on some rest is therefore part of Smith’s plan over the next three weeks.

He said: “I made a nice start in the first round (of US Open qualifying), but in the second round I hit a wall mentally and physically going down the back nine.

“By then I knew it would be a tough ask, but it was nice being there.

“I needed a day off on Tuesday, you do need time to recover.

“I have three weeks off now to get back home, recuperate and get some more practice in.

“I have a long stint coming up after that so I want to be ready.”

Smith’s efforts in Italy earned him a cool £104,000 after rounds of 67, 68, 65 and 68 ensured he finished the tournament 16 under.

While he was pleased with his performance, Smith admitted he was frustrated to drop some shots during the back nine of day four.

“Overall it was a good week for me, I managed to get another top 10 under my belt,” he said.

“It would have been nice to have pushed on from that back nine on the Sunday and contended a bit more but overall I was happy with how it all went.

“It was my first visit there, I really enjoyed it. It was a traditional course – short and narrow.

“The crowd were amazing too and the course was located in a nice area also.

“Fine tuning my game is the plan for the next three weeks.

“Then I have four Rolex (Series) events and two majors coming up, it’s an exciting period in golf.

“It’s nice to have the three weeks off and not get too fatigued in that time.”