Over 1,000 players will be hoping their dreams come true over the coming days as Regional and Final Qualifying for The 149th Open takes place.
Here is a summary of everything you need to know ahead of the action getting under way on Saturday.
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Dates and Venues
A revised format is in place for this year’s Regional and Final Qualifying due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of eight Regional Qualifying events will take place at four courses, with Hollinwell, Prince’s, St Annes Old Links and West Lancashire each staging separate events on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 June.
These venues will then serve as hosts for Final Qualifying on Tuesday 29 June.
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No spectators allowed
The R&A has confirmed all Regional and Final Qualifying events will be played behind closed doors with no spectators.
Access to each venue will be restricted to players, caddies, volunteers and officials only. This is due to the health and safety measures that are required to minimise the risk of Covid-19 transmission at each venue.
We understand that spectators will be disappointed, but will hopefully appreciate that these measures are necessary in the current circumstances.
How many places in The 149th Open are available?
A minimum of 12 players will secure spots in The 149th Open through Final Qualifying, which will begin with 288 hopefuls in contention across the four venues.
This 288-man field will be made up of golfers who are already exempt for Final Qualifying and a host of qualifiers from the eight Regional Qualifying events.
Each individual Final Qualifying venue will have a field of 72, with the top three players at Hollinwell, Prince’s, St Annes Old Links and West Lancashire claiming those coveted places at Royal St George’s.
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Who is playing?
The full draw for the eight Regional Qualifying events can be found here.
A draw for Final Qualifying will be made and shared on TheOpen.com following the weekend’s Regional Qualifying action.
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How can I follow the action?
TheOpen.com will be running a live blog for the duration of Regional Qualifying and Final Qualifying, enabling fans to keep up with all of the key action from the four host venues.
To follow the live blog for Regional Qualifying, visit www.theopen.com/regional-qualifying on Saturday and/or Sunday.
Our live blog for Final Qualifying will be available on Tuesday at www.theopen.com/final-qualifying.
For more information on qualification for The 149th Open and to see which players have already secured this places at Royal St George’s, visit www.theopen.com/qualification.