Two years after Paul Lawrie and Jean Van de Velde came through
final qualifying to contest a play-off, along with Justin Leonard,
for the Open, more European and American Tour players are to receive
exemptions for this year's championship at Royal Lytham.
One event on each side of the Atlantic
will effectively become an Open qualifier, with eight places available
for those not already exempt at both the Western Open in Chicago
at the beginning of July and the following week's tournament at
Loch Lomond.
In addition, the number of players qualifying
through the "current form" Order of Merits that run for two months
prior to the Open on both Tours has been increased from five to
seven.
"Our intention is to give more emphasis
to players who are in form close to the Open," said David Hill,
the championship secretary for the Royal and Ancient. "We believe
these measures will strengthen the field and make it easier for
more middle-ranking American players to play in the Open." The R
& A considered introducing a US qualifier after recognising
that for younger Americans or those still trying to secure their
Tour cards the prospect of coming over to try and qualify but failing
to do so is not an attractive one.
The changes are also in part due to the
European Tour's decision to move the Loch Lomond tournament, which
after the loss of its sponsor is shortly to be confirmed as the
resurrected Scottish Open, back to a Sunday finish. The tournament
prior to the Open previously always ended on the Saturday with final
qualifying taking place on Sunday and Monday.
Paul
Lawrie - One of the very few qualifiers to ever win the Open.
Allsport.
With the R & A unable to move the qualifying
a day later, and unwilling to take it out of Open week, there was
the prospect of mass withdrawals at Loch Lomond by unexempt players
not high up the leaderboard and even the possibility of some deliberately
missing the cut.
Instead, the number of places available
from final qualifying will be reduced from around 48 to around 36,
although the percentage chance of getting through will remain roughly
the same with the starting fields at the four venues decreased from
120 to under 100. Where the odds will lengthen dramatically is for
the club pros, assistants and amateurs, who made up the bulk of
last year's record entry of 2,460, in regional qualifying.
Meanwhile, the US Open will come into
line with other major championships in exempting the world's top
50 players.
