THE month of July is special in the golfing calendar as the Open dominates the thoughts of the world’s best players, as well as followers of the game who enjoy watching the special challenge only links can offer the elite.

The Open is also always on the minds of those at the top of the amateur game because the qualification process allows players with a handicap of scratch or better to enter in the hope they can play their way through to the world’s most prestigious championship. 

Past Opens have produced some exceptional amateur performances. Who can forget Justin Rose in 1998 at Birkdale, when he famously pitched in at the 72nd hole to cap an incredible week and finish in a tie for 4th place.

Also at Birkdale, in 2008, Chris Wood tied for 5th and instantly became imprinted on the minds of fans around the UK. Images of these two young amateurs striding down the fairways alongside Tiger and company, as genuine contenders for the title, no doubt flash through the minds of those who send of their entry forms every year.

The process is remarkably straightforward and consists of an 18-hole Regional Qualifying tournament, after which only 36 holes of Final Qualifying stand in the way of an actual place in the Open itself.  

Until 2003, there was a particularly special atmosphere at the Final Qualifying venues, which are always at courses local to the main event, because those who made it through the regional stage were pitted against tour pros who found themselves in the unfortunate position of having to qualify themselves.

Famous names such as Ian Woosnam, Brad Faxon, Sam Torrance, Mark McNulty and even Ian Poulter have all come through Final Qualifying. 

What greater thrill could there be for any amateur than to compete against these names in a tournament where a place in the Open is on the line? I myself was lucky enough to play with Mark James in 2003 final qualifying at Prince’s, when the Open last came to Royal St George’s, and remember very well the special feeling it implanted within me. 

Over 40 places were up for grabs at Final Qualifying, spread across four venues, and there was no question that amateurs were very much in the mix when it came to qualification for the main event. 

The standard required to get through was high, of course, but with the quirks of links golf, changeable conditions and a good number of qualification places available, there were always a number of amateurs who got through.

In recent years however, the landscape has changed. From 2004, the R&A introduced International Final Qualifying events (IFQs), and although it is possible for amateurs to play if they meet the entry criteria, they are designed almost exclusively for the tour pros.

The result is that these IFQs take up the majority of places for qualifiers, and although Local Final Qualifying still takes place, some of the magic has gone because the famous names no longer compete and far fewer places, usually only around 12, are available. 

The absence of top tour pros means the standard is perhaps not so high, but there are still some mini-tour pros who are battle hardened and, combined with the lack of spots, this results in fewer amateurs getting through. 

This is not a criticism of the system, because it achieves two important things from the R&A’s perspective. 

First, it results in a stronger field of pros for the event itself, and, second, IFQ events effectively take the Open around the world into other territories and spread the event’s appeal.

The upshot of all these changes however is that amateurs are now less likely to qualify and the chances of another Rose or Wood are diminished. The possibility of amateur qualification does still remain, and there is no shortage of people willing to chase a dream.

Winners of the British Amateur are exempt into the Open, and at time of writing, the tournament is at the quarter-final stage. One of the UK’s stand-out amateurs and certain Walker Cup team member, Tom Lewis, looks in excellent form after knocking out one of this season’s best players so far, Andrew Sullivan. 

In the final match-play rounds things start to get particularly serious because the winner is exempt into the Masters for the following year and is also likely to receive starting places in one or two other professional events.