Yorkshire's Danny Willett, the number one amateur in the world, is turning professional and will make his debut in next week's Wales Open at Celtic Manor.
The Walker Cup player, holder of English, Spanish and Australian titles, finished 19th in the Andalucian Open in March and 10th in the Spanish Open earlier this month after a third-round 64.
"I felt the time was right," he said.
"I felt comfortable playing in those events and didn't want to hang around and not take the opportunity now."
The 20-year-old son of a clergyman can accept seven European Tour invitations for the rest of the season and will hope to earn enough to avoid a trip to the qualifying school. Walker Cup team-mate Rory McIlroy did that late last year.
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