The Open 2020: Why qualifying pros outweigh the cons

As Royal St George's glistens with a coating from the first winter frosts, it feels a world away from the anticipated warmth of July sunshine and the heat of competition for the Claret Jug.

But it is this week when the starting gun is officially fired for the start of the 149th Open Championship. The initial steps are about to be taken to assemble the field for golf's oldest major.

The Australian Open which starts in Sydney on Thursday is the first of 16 events in The Open's qualifying series. It will yield a minimum of 46 places, almost a third of the Sandwich field this summer.

It is the sixth year of the qualifying series, which uses established tour events across the globe to reward high finishers with Open Championship spots. It is a more legitimate method than the old 36-hole international qualifying tournaments.

These are fields determined by elite golf circuits. The right players are competing against each other and there is genuine merit for those who succeed.

The process also guarantees the uniquely international flavour of The Open, the only one of the four majors in men's golf to be staged outside the United States.