Cole Hammer

Earned an exemption into his first Open Championship by collecting the Mark McCormack Medal as the world’s number-one-ranked amateur just before his 20th birthday in August 2019.

Hammer took over the position when Norwegian Viktor Hovland turned professional earlier in the summer and was then a member of the United States Walker Cup team that beat Britain and Ireland by five points at Royal Liverpool. His 6&5 singles victory over Irishman Conor Purcell was the biggest win of the match.

In 2015, aged 15, Hammer was the third youngest player to ever appear in the U.S. Open after shooting 64-68 in qualifying. He won the 2018 Western Amateur and was a semi-finalist in the US Amateur and US Junior Amateur the same season.

He also won the Phil Mickelson Award as top college freshman, helping the University of Texas to second place in the NCAA final, and played in the 2016 Junior Ryder Cup, 2018 Eisenhower Trophy and 2019 Palmer Cup.

In addition to earning him a place at Royal St George’s, the McCormack Medal gave Hammer an exemption into the 2020 U.S. Open.