Top amateur Patrick Cantlay gets place at The Open

THE success of the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) has convinced the R&A to use it to open up a new exemption for the Open Championship.

The McCormack Medal winner – the No 1 amateur in the world at the end of each season – will join the Amateur champion, European Amateur champion and US Amateur champion in securing a spot in the world’s oldest major.

It means that Patrick Cantlay, a member of the US team that lost to Great Britain & Ireland in the Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen in September, has already secured his berth in next year’s Open Championship at Royal Lytham. “The Open Championship entry criteria has been designed to ensure that we have the world’s best professional and amateur players competing [in the event],” said R&A director Mike Tate.

“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.”

In another change, past major champions will be exempt into the International (IFQ) and Local Final Qualifying (LFQ) events. Five IFQ events will again be held in 2012: 10-11 January - Australasia (Kingston Heath, Melbourne, Australia); 18-19 January – Africa (Royal Johannesburg & Kensington); 1-2 March – Asia (Amata Spring, Bangkok, Thailand); 21 May – America (Gleneagles Country Club, Plano, Texas); 25 June – Europe (Sunningdale).