9 Big Names Missing The 2024 Open

The 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon is almost upon us and, as ever with the oldest golf Major, there's a stacked field set to compete for the Claret Jug.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is favorite to win the title but Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele and Ludvig Aberg are also highly fancied - and that's not mentioning another 80-or-so players who could easily go on to be crowned Champion Golfer of the Year.

There will be a field of 156 teeing it up to start the week, but which big names won't be there? We take a look at some stand-out players who haven't managed to qualify this time around...

Sergio Garcia

The Spaniard misses his second successive Open after coming up two strokes shy in Final Qualifying at West Lancs. Garcia also came up short at the English links course last year, which resulted in his first missed Open since 1997.

The 2017 Masters champion somehow is yet to win The Open in his career despite posessing a natural ability to shape the ball both ways and hit it high and low on demand.

He most famously missed out at Carnoustie in 2007, when he lipped out a putt to win and eventually lost to Padraig Harrington in a playoff. He was also T2nd to Rory McIlroy in 2014 at Royal Liverpool.

He'll no doubt try to qualify again next year, though, so we're surely set to see him tee it up in an Open Championship again.

Patrick Reed

Patrick Reed misses his first Open Championship since 2013 after his exemption ran out from his 2018 Masters victory.

Reed had a run of 41 consecutive Majors that ended at the US Open last month, with his next Major set to be The Masters - where he is in for life.

The Texan has made nine Open appearances, with a 10th-place in 2019 at Royal Portrush being his best finish.

Talor Gooch

The LIV Golf 2023 champion made just one Major appearance in 2024 at the PGA Championship, where he received an invitation.

Despite three wins on the 54-hole circuit last year, his world ranking continues to plummet and he decided not to attempt to qualify for the US or 'British' Opens this year.

Gooch has played in the last three Opens, with his best finish of T33 coming in his debut in 2021 at Royal St George's.

Richard Bland

Richard Bland says he is now the "best golfer I've ever been" after joining LIV Golf and it is showing, with back-to-back senior Major wins at the over-50s PGA Championship and US Open.

Bland has surprisingly only played in four Opens in his career but he has competed in all of the last three. He didn't play in Final Qualifying this year due to the US Senior Open finishing just a day earlier and he is also not allowed to play in the Senior Open due his ties with LIV and the tournament's ties with the DP World Tour.

Thomas Detry

Detry is enjoying the season of his career but it hasn't been enough to make the field at Royal Troon.

The Belgian star attempted to qualify at Royal Cinque Ports but finished four back of the qualifying spots.

He was an impressive T4th at the PGA Championship in May, his best ever Major finish, and also led the US Open at times, eventually finishing T14th. Those are in addition to his T4 at the Signature Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a T2nd at the Houston Open.

The 31-year-old from Brussels is currently ranked 50th in the world, so he is set to be one of the highest-ranked players not to feature.

Carlos Ortiz

Ortiz won his maiden LIV Golf title recently in Houston and also won the Asian Tour's International Series Oman earlier this year, too.

He attempted to qualify for Troon at West Lancs and finished on the same score as Sergio Garcia at three-under-par, which was two shy of the qualification spots.

Branden Grace

Grace famously became the first man in history to shoot 62 in a Major at the 2017 Open and that is still the only 62 in the championship's history.

He attempted to qualify for the field at Royal Cinque Ports this year, and agonisingly missed out in a playoff.

The South African's score of two-under-par took him into a three-for-one playoff, with Spanish amateur Luis Masaveu making it through at his expense.

Graeme McDowell

The 2010 US Open champion also tried to qualify at Royal Cinque Ports and finished at one-over, three back of the mark needed to get into the playoff that Grace lost in.

McDowell hasn't played in the Open since it visited his home of Royal Portrush in 2019. He'll be desperate to make it back to Portrush again next year.

He has teed it up in the championship 14 times, with his best finish of T5th coming in 2012 at Royal Lytham and St Annes.

Nick Dunlap

Dunlap became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991 at this year's American Express Championship, and he turned professional the very next week to forego his exemption into The Open.

The 19-year-old qualified for Royal Troon after winning the 2023 US Amateur Championship but can no longer play after turning pro.