Ashridge is named as a new addition to the list of 16 courses which will host Regional Qualifying for the 2003 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s.
The other venues will be Alwoodley, Blackmoor, County Louth, Hadley Wood, Hindhead, Little Aston, Minchinhampton, Notts, Ormskirk, Orsett, Renfrew, Silloth-on-Solway, Stockport, Trentham and Wildernesse.
Open Qualifying was first introduced in 1914 at Prestwick and Regional Qualifying was tried briefly for one year in 1926. Sunningdale was one of the courses used and Bobby Jones shot 66 to qualify and then go on to win the first of his three Open titles at Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s.
Before 1963 every competitor, including the defending champion, had to play two qualifying rounds over the Championship course on the Monday and Tuesday of the Open week. In 1963, a limited number of qualifying exemptions were introduced.
As entries continued to increase this was taken a stage further in 1970 when qualifying was taken away from the Championship venue and was played on nearby courses. Finally, in 1977, Regional Qualifying was re-introduced at clubs throughout the British Isles on the Monday prior to the Open week with Final Qualifying on courses close to the Open site a week later.
The Final Qualifying courses for the 2003 Open have already been announced as Littlestone, North Foreland, Prince’s and Royal Cinque Ports.
