
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.