The Open Championship returns this week to Royal Birkdale, scene of some of the finest moments in Welsh golfing history.

But there will be no Welsh representation in the field as Britain’s men’s major gets under way on Thursday.

It has been a familiar tale in recent years, with no Welsh player featuring at the Open since Oliver Farr came through qualifying in 2023.

Wales’ recent Open record is miserable, while golf’s men’s world rankings do not make pretty reading from a Welsh perspective either.

As it stands, Wales’ highest-placed player is 29-year-old Jack Davidson, who is ranked 953rd in the world.

But at Wales Golf, the sport’s governing body, there is belief that better days are ahead.

Farr, 38, is the only Welsh player to feature in the Open – having done so in 2022 and 2023 – since Rhys Enoch qualified in 2018.

Enoch is the most recent Welshman to make the cut, having finished 67th at Carnoustie.

Wales has never produced an Open winner, though Dai Rees – with three – Dave Thomas – two – and Brian Huggett have six runner-up finishes between them and Ian Woosnam twice finished third, in 1986 and 2001.

Birkdale was the scene of two of Rees’ near misses, in 1954 and 1961, while Huggett also finished second at the Southport course, in 1965.

Yet this week, Wales’ golfers are left watching from afar, with Owen Edwards – the world number 1,474 – coming closest to making it through final qualifying last month only to miss out thanks to an ugly finish at Burnham & Berrow.

For Gareth Jenkins, performance director at Wales Golf, the ultimate goal is to ensure Wales is much better represented at the top end of the sport.

“My role is to look at the pathway, look at the players who are coming through, seeing where we can improve at each stage of that pathway and then trying to develop players for the future,” Jenkins said.

“We would absolutely love to see more Welsh representation both on the DP World Tour all the way through to the PGA Tour and major championships moving forwards.”

Jenkins, who spent a decade working for England Golf before moving across the border in 2024, oversees the development of junior players right through to those representing Wales at senior amateur level.

He says the target for every golfer he works with is to prove through amateur success that they can progress to the professional game.

In an attempt to ensure more make it, Jenkins says much of Wales Golf’s focus and investment has gone towards younger players, with new regional development programmes put in place over the last two years.

“We’re seeing the fruits of that development coming through, [but] unfortunately, it does take time,” he added.

“It is going to be another five or six years before we start to see some of those players moving forward into the pro ranks.

“But saying that, we’ve had Darcey Harry who has made it on to the LET (Ladies European Tour) and got a win on the LET last year, and Luca Thompson, Ffion Tynan [have made the tour this year]. We also have some of the great players in the States coming through the pathway.

“So it’s possible – absolutely we can punch above our weight.”

Harry is Wales Golf’s most recent success story.

Having played for her country at amateur level since her mid-teens, the 23-year-old flourished in the professional ranks last year after securing a first LET card.

Harry, who is 190th in the women’s world rankings, believes her progress has come thanks in part to her mental approach.

“I think over-complicating it is probably the worst thing to do, thinking ‘oh wow, I’ve stepped up the league now, I’m in professional golf’,” she said.

“Because really it’s the same game. You’re going out there trying to do the same job.”

Harry’s boyfriend is Jacob Skov Olesen, a rising Danish golf star who is in his second year on the DP World Tour.

“I’ve been around the men’s golf quite a lot now and I’ve noticed that they are just absolutely phenomenal at what they do,” she added.

“How can we [in Wales] get people on [the men’s tour]? They’ve got to be working on that from a young age, really working on their processes and trying to aim for it.”

Jenkins hopes that is where Wales Golf’s pathways come in.

He rejects the idea that, as a smaller nation, Wales should accept that it is unlikely to produce many high-class players.

“Small can be beautiful if we’re all aligned, all working together from clubs all the way through, and we’re starting to get there,” Jenkins said.

“The talent is there, absolutely. Our under-16 group is one of the best I’ve seen, even when I had 10 years at England Golf.

“Our job now is to keep on making them better and better through the system.”

After 22 years playing on Europe’s top two tours, Stuart Manley joined Wales Golf earlier this year and will be part of their performance team from October.

Natalie Powell, a former Commonwealth Games gold medallist and two-time Olympian in judo, is also part of the staff working with Wales’ young golfers.

Jenkins says Wales Golf want Welsh players who have made it to the top echelons of the game to assist in the process of bringing promising youngsters through.

One man he has in mind is Bradley Dredge. The 53-year-old, a former world top-50 player, says he offered his services to Wales Golf “a few years ago” but that they have not been in touch.

Speaking to the Golf Pod Cymru podcast, external earlier this month, Dredge said: “I live 25 minutes from Celtic Manor (where Wales Golf is based). I said any time you want me to come down, play with the guys, have a chat, whatever, free of charge, just give me a ring.

“Not once have I ever been asked. I just think that’s crazy.”

It is a situation Jenkins plans to address.

“We are really keen for older players who have vast experience and high quality to come back in and share what they do so players can actually see how good they need to be to make it on tour,” he said.

“I know for example from recent podcasts that Bradley Dredge has asked to be involved.

“With Stuart’s help, we are going to try to bring in past pros and current pros to support us and hopefully we can work together.”

Jenkins points to 25-year-old James Ashfield, who became Wales’ first Walker Cup player in six years when selected in 2023, as a player with high hopes in the professional game.

Tomi Bowen, who remains an amateur for the moment, is another who is highly regarded.

Then come a batch of younger golfers who Jenkins views as having a big chance.

“I think we’ve got a few players who can break into the professional ranks in the next year or two,” he said.

“But the big crop of players I see now coming through… I think around five years will be a really good time.”