Reflecting on my experiences with the Open qualifying process brings back a lot of memories. Back then, we didn't have nearly as many tournaments and events as there are today. For club-based professionals like myself, the Open Qualifying was the pinnacle of the year, generating immense excitement and trepidation.
One of the highlights was receiving golf balls from brands like Maxfli Dunlop and Titleist just for entering and teeing off at the Open. The qualifying process was vastly different from today's. Regional qualifying, held on a Monday two weeks before the Open, took place at similar courses to those used now. These events had fields of up to 150 players, with around a dozen spots available at each venue. The goal was to finish in the top ten or so to advance.
Those who made it through regional qualifying moved on to the next round, held on the Sunday and Monday before the Open. This final qualifying round was always local, with some international players exempt from regional qualifying. Unlike today, there were no international qualifying spots, making the process more condensed.
It's interesting to compare the qualifying process of the past to the present. Today, the fields are spread out over more events, each with fewer spots available. I recently discussed this with a colleague, and we debated whether the old format, with more spots and a higher concentration of top-quality players, was better. Back then, finishing in the top ten was a significant achievement, as the field included many full-time Tour players who weren't already exempt.
The single-round or two-round format of the past offered opportunities for players who excelled in short bursts rather than consistently throughout the year. It always felt like there was a chance to break through.
Personally, I never managed to make it to the main event. I reached regional qualifying several times but couldn't progress to final qualifying. I also attempted the US Open qualifying in 2000 and came close but didn't make it to the final event.
As I look forward to the Open this weekend, I'm eager to see how it unfolds. The competition between LIV players, PGA players, and DP World players will be fascinating to watch. I'll be tuning in tomorrow, anticipating an exciting tournament.
Qualification for the 152nd Open Forty-one players have booked their spots in The 152nd Open at Royal Troon through The Open Qualifying Series.
Dean Burmester, Darren Fichardt and Dan Bradbury qualified at the Joburg Open before Joaquin Niemann, Rikuya Hoshino and Adam Scott earned the three places available at the ISPS Handa Australian Open.
The first qualifying event of 2024 was the IRS Prima Malaysian Open at The Mines Resort & Golf Club in February. Jeunghun Wang, Denwit Boriboonsub and John Catlin took the three places on offer, with the latter becoming exempt at the end of May when David Puig - the tournament's winner - qualified through a different route.
Brendon Todd has also booked his place through the Qualifying Series, courtesy of a sixth-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, while Ryosuke Kinoshita, Guntaek Koh and Yuto Katsuragawa qualified at the Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour.
Strong finishes by American duo Ben Griffin and Maverick McNealy at the RBC Canadian Open sealed their spots at Troon alongside Mackenzie Hughes.
Canadian Adam Hadwin punched his ticket to Troon thanks to a third-place finish at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in June.
Davis Thompson won the penultimate event on the Open Qualifying Series, the John Deere Classic in July, posting a tournament record low score of 256 (28-under-par). CT Pan finished T2 at TPC Deere Run alongside Michael Thorbjornsen and Luke Clanton and took the second qualifying place on offer courtesy of his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Minkyu Kim and Younghan Song made it to Troon via their performances at the Kolon Korea Open, while Guido Migliozzi and Joe Dean qualified via the KLM Open and Tom McKibbin and Scott Crocker were the qualifiers at the Italian Open.
On the DP World Tour, further places will be awarded at the Genesis Scottish Open, which is co-sanctioned with the PGA TOUR.Â
After 15 Regional Qualifying events that took place on Monday 24 June, Final Qualifying took place at four venues on Tuesday 2 July, with Justin Rose, Dominic Clemons, Abraham Ancer, Charlie Lindh, Sam Hutsby, Angel Hidalgo, Liam Nolan, Jack McDonald, Matthew Dodd-Berry, Sam Horsfield, Daniel Brown, Masahiro Kawamura, Matthew Southgate, Elvis Smylie, Jaime Montojo and Luis Masaveu taking the 16 spots available.
Where any golfer who earns a qualifying place through an Open Qualifying Series event before the closing date for entries then becomes exempt under one or more other categories, that qualifying place will be awarded to the next best placed non-exempt golfer at that qualifying event.
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