The Open Championship field is without three promising young stars after Luke Clanton, Jose Luis Ballester and Wenyi Ding all turned professional to forfeit their exemptions for Royal Portrush.
Clanton qualified for the field after winning the Mark H McCormack Medal as the leading player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at the end of the season, Jose Luis Ballester earned his spot after winning the 2024 US Amateur Championship and Wenyi Ding secured his place via the 2024 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
It's now Open week and none of these three men are eligible to tee it up, however, for one simple reason - they all turned professional.
The exemption criteria states that winners of these events as well as the Mark H McCormack medal recipient must remain an amateur in order to play in The Open, which none of them have done.
Clanton turned professional last month after earning a PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour University Accelerated program, Ballester also turned pro last month to join LIV Golf and Ding entered the professional ranks in October after securing a DP World Tour card via the Global Amateur Pathway Ranking.
While they all knew the consequences of their decisions to become fully fledged professional golfers, missing out on The Open seems a little harsh.
It's something the USGA looked to address in 2019 after essentially coming to the same conclusion.
The governing body decided that the reigning US Amateur and US Women's Amateur champions could remain in the US Open and US Women's Open even if they turned professional. It's that rule change that allowed Ballester to still tee it up at Oakmont last month.
Speaking at the time of the rule change, John Bodenhamer, USGA Senior Managing Director of Championships, stated: "We believe this change gives our champions an important option as they choose whether and when to embark on their professional careers.
"Given the significant purses awarded at the US Open and US Women’s Open, we realize how important it is for players to make the most appropriate decision for his or her career, and the positive impact it could have at the outset of their professional careers.”
In the decade prior to the change, four of 10 US Amateur winners and three of 10 US Women’s Amateur champions opted to turn professional, thus giving up their exemptions in the Major they had qualified for.
“Given the opportunities afforded the US Amateur and US Women’s Amateur champions, we want to make sure they are able to take advantage of as many as possible,” explained Bodenhamer.
“We feel strongly that our reigning champions have earned their places in the US Open and US Women’s Open, regardless of their amateur status.”
While the R&A has not yet changed its stance, you feel it has to be made in the coming years after three world class young players lost their spots in this year's championship.
