R&A Giving Top Amateurs An Open Spot, Will They Ever Take It?

The Royal and Ancient will be awarding an Open Championship spot to the World Amateur Golf Ranking's No. 1 player at the end of the "summer session." UCLA's Patrick Cantlay gets the first such exemption, but will he or any other future No. 1's remain an amateur long enough to use the exemption?

The new qualification criteria for 2012, published today alongside the entry form, includes a change that will also see the recipient of the McCormack Medal - presented to the leading player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) at the culmination of the amateur summer season - gain automatic qualification.

Other changes include a new exemption that will allow past Major Champions into International and Local Final Qualifying (IFQ/LFQ).

For 2012, Patrick Cantlay, as the recipient of the 2011 McCormack Medal, has been awarded a place at Royal Lytham.

He joins other non-professionals including the winners of the Amateur Championship, the U.S. Amateur and the European Amateur in qualifying automatically for The Open.

R&A Director Mike Tate said: “The Open Championship entry criteria has been designed to ensure that we have the world’s best professional and amateur players competing at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

“The WAGR has grown considerably since its launch in 2007 and now covers more than 2,500 counting events and almost 6,000 players representing 100 countries. It is only right that the player who proves to be the most consistent over the course of the amateur season competes at The Open.”