A total of 288 players were battling it out for 20 spots at the famed Irish venue, with five places on offer at each of the four qualifying venues: West Lancs, Royal Cinque Ports, Burnham & Berrow and Dundonald Links.
Those who came through included former World No.1 Lee Westwood, in-form PGA Tour star Harry Hall and South African LIV golfer Dean Burmester.
But several big names came up short in their bid to qualify for the final major of 2005 which takes place from July 17-20.
We look at five stars who, like the still-unfit Tiger Woods, won’t be teeing it up at Royal Portrush.
1. Graeme McDowell
Age: 45
Open appearances: 14
Best Open finish: T5 (Royal Lytham, 2012)
Highest world ranking: 4th
Missing out on Royal Portrush in his homeland of Northern Ireland will cut particularly deep for former US Open champion Graeme McDowell.
G-Mac did manage to experience that feeling when the course staged the event in 2019, making the weekend and finishing tied 57th.
And after finishing runner-up at LIV Golf Virginia last month, McDowell would have felt confident about booking his place.
A 2-under 70 on his first lap of Royal Cinque Ports in Kent put him in good position but a second-round 73 left McDowell three shots shy.
2. Ian Poulter
Age: 49
Open appearances: 20
Best Open finish: 2nd (Royal Birkdale, 2008)
Highest world ranking: 5th
Another of Europe’s former Ryder Cup heroes, Ian Poulter, suffered the same disappointment as his former teammate McDowell.
Poulter, an Open runner-up in 2008 as well as an integral part of five winning Ryder Cup teams, finished alongside McDowell on 1-under 143 at Royal Cinque Ports after rounds of 72-71.
It means ‘The Postman’, who missed the cut at Royal Portrush in 2019, hasn’t played in a major since 2022.
There was so nearly redemption for the Poulter family as Ian’s son, Luke, looked in great position to qualify for his first Open Championship.
But Poulter Jr. finished bogey, bogey, double-bogey to finish alongside his Dad on -1. Three pars would have been enough to see him through.
3. Erik van Rooyen
Age: 35
Open appearances: 3
Best Open finish: T17 (Carnoustie, 2018)
Highest world ranking: 40th
The South African won on the DP World Tour in 2019 and then became a two-time winner on the PGA Tour with victories at the 2021 Barracuda Championship and the 2023 World Wide Technology Championship.
He also made the top 20 in his first two starts in the Open Championship.
That included tied-20th at Royal Portrush in 2019 where he opened 70-68 to sit 12th at halfway.
But six missed cuts in his last 11 worldwide starts hinted that van Rooyen’s game lacked sharpness and his 2-under total in the competitive qualifier at Royal Cinque Ports was three swings too many.
Van Rooyen will reflect on the triple-bogey 7 at 15 in round two that ultimately denied him a fourth Open appearance.
4. Chris Wood
Age: 37
Open appearances: 9
Best Open finish: T3 (Turnberry, 2009)
Highest world ranking: 22nd
A former winner of the prestigious PGA Championship at Wentworth, Wood once had back-to-back top fives in the Open Championship.
The Bristolian, who also played in the 2016 Ryder Cup, tried his luck at nearby Burnham & Berrow in Somerset.
He performed well, shooting a pair of 69s, but it was two shots shy of the magic number.
Wood has had some tough years but flashed some form recently when seventh in the Turkish Airlines Open.
5. David Puig
Age: 23
Open appearances: 1
Best Open finish: MC (Troon, 2024)
Highest world ranking: 77th
Touted as a potential superstar, the 23-year-old Spaniard cut short his college career at Arizona State to join the breakaway LIV Tour.
In recent seasons, he’s won twice on the Asian Tour and played in five majors, including the 2024 Open at Troon (MC) and this year’s PGA Championship (T60).
He looked to be cruising his way through to Royal Portrush when taking the first-round lead at Royal Cinque Ports via a scintillating 8-under 64.
But it all went horribly wrong for Puig in round two as he came home in 40, signed for a 6-over 78 and missed out by two.
