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The R&A has confirmed the schedule of events for The Open Qualifying Series and exemption categories for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale.
Each year, international pathways are provided for players to qualify for golf’s original championship through prestigious professional tour events played around the world.
The Open Qualifying Series will begin in October and players will be able to qualify for The 154th Open through 15 events in 13 countries being played on the PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour, KPGA Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “The Open is one of the world’s great sporting events and its global nature is reflected in the number of outstanding opportunities we offer to golfers to qualify for the Championship through our exemptions and professional tour events held internationally each year.
“The Open Qualifying Series generates great excitement and intrigue each year as players compete to earn a coveted place in the Championship and so we look forward to seeing what stories emerge in the months ahead and the field coming together as we get closer to staging another memorable Open at Royal Birkdale next July.”
The Open de Espana presented by Madrid, the Japan Open and the Link Hong Kong Open are added to the schedule following the joint announcement made last month by The R&A and Augusta National Golf Club to align aspects of the qualification criteria for The Open and the Masters Tournament.
In North America, places will be available via the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and the RBC Canadian Open, while the Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro in South America will also offer a spot.
As well as the Open de Espana presented by Madrid, the Open d’Italia and Genesis Scottish Open being held in Europe will also offer places for golfers aiming to book their place at Royal Birkdale.
The Australian Open, the 105th New Zealand Open, the Mizuno Open, the KOLON Korea Open and an additional event to be confirmed later this year by the Asian Tour will join the Japan Open and the Link Hong Kong Open as events being held in Asia-Pacific which offer qualifying places in The Open, while golfers will also be able to qualify via the Investec South African Open Championship.
Regional and Final Qualifying events, which are open to professional and amateur golfers worldwide who meet the entry criteria, will take place at venues around Great Britain and Ireland in June ahead of the Championship.
A new Last-Chance Qualifier will be played at Royal Birkdale on Monday, 13 July. The field of 12 players competing for the final place in the Championship will be determined using an approach which complements the existing qualification criteria for The Open.
See below the full schedule of events in The Open Qualifying Series.
The Open Qualifying Series – The 154th Open
9 Oct – 12 Oct 2025: Open de España presented by Madrid: One place to the leading player, not already exempt, who makes the cut.
16 Oct – 19 Oct 2025: Japan Open Golf Championship: One place to the leading player, not already exempt, who makes the cut.
30 Oct – 2 Nov 2025: Link Hong Kong Open: One place to the leading player, not already exempt, who makes the cut.
4 Dec – 7 Dec 2025: Australian Open: Three places to the leading three players, not already exempt, who make the cut.
26 Feb – 1 Mar 2026: 105th New Zealand Open: One place to the leading player, not already exempt, who makes the cut.
26 Feb – 1 Mar 2026: Investec South African Open Championship: Three places to the leading three players, not already exempt, who make the cut.
26 Feb – 1 Mar 2026: 119 Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro: One place to the leading player, not already exempt, who makes the cut.
5 Mar – 8 Mar 2026: Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: One place to the leading player, not already exempt, who makes the cut.
TBC: (Open Qualifying Series Asia): Two places to the leading two players, not already exempt, who make the cut.
TBC: KOLON Korea Open: One place to the leading player, not already exempt, who makes the cut.
28 May – 31 May 2026: Mizuno Open: Three places to the leading three players, not already exempt, who make the cut.
4 Jun – 7 Jun 2026: the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday: One place to the leading player, not already exempt, who makes the cut.
11 Jun – 14 Jun 2026: RBC Canadian Open: Three places to the leading three players, not already exempt, who make the cut.
25 Jun – 28 Jun 2026: Open d’Italia: One place to the leading player, not already exempt, who makes the cut.
9 Jul – 12 Jul 2026: Genesis Scottish Open: Three places to the leading three players, not already exempt, who make the cut.
Exemption categories are also reviewed and updated annually to ensure that places awarded in The Open reflect results achieved by golfers on the professional tours, including LIV Golf, and in leading elite amateur championships.
See below the full list of exemptions for The 154th Open.
Exempt Players
Aberg, Ludvig – 12
Bhatia, Akshay – 12
Bradley, Keegan – 12
Bridgeman, Jacob – 12
Burns, Sam – 12
Cantlay, Patrick – 12
Cink, Stewart – 1
Clark, Wyndham – 4, 11
Clarke, Darren – 1
Conners, Corey – 4, 12
Curtis, Ben – 1
Daly, John – 1
DeChambeau, Bryson – 4, 11
Duval, David – 1
Els, Ernie – 1
English, Harris – 4, 12
Fitzpatrick, Matt – 4, 11
Fleetwood, Tommy – 12
Fox, Ryan – 7
Gotterup, Chris – 4, 12
Griffin, Ben – 12
Hall, Harry – 12
Hamilton, Todd – 1
Harman, Brian – 1, 3, 4, 12
Harrington, Padraig – 1, 17
Henley, Russell – 4, 12
Horschel, Billy – 7
Hovland, Viktor – 12
Howell, Mason (a) – 18
Im, Sungjae – 12
Johnson, Zach – 1, 3
Koepka, Brooks – 10
Koivun, Jackson (a) – 19
Lawrie, Paul – 1
Leonard, Justin – 1
Li, Haotong – 4
Lowry, Shane – 1, 3, 12
MacIntyre, Robert – 4, 12
Matsuyama, Hideki – 12
McIlroy, Rory – 1, 4, 9, 12, 13
McNealy, Maverick – 12
Mickelson, Phil – 1
Molinari, Francesco – 1, 3
Morikawa, Collin – 1, 3, 12
Noren, Alex – 7
Novak, Andrew – 12
Oosthuizen, Louis – 1
Rahm, Jon – 9
Rose, Justin – 12
Schauffele, Xander – 2, 3, 4, 10
Scheffler, Scottie – 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 12, 13
Smith, Cameron – 1, 3
Spaun, JJ – 11, 12
Spieth, Jordan – 1, 3
Stenson, Henrik – 1, 3
Straka, Sepp – 12
Taylor, Nick – 12
Thomas, Justin – 10, 12
Woods, Tiger – 1
Young, Cameron – 12
Exemption Categories
1. The Open Champions aged 60 or under on 19 July 2026. (for all Champions up to and including 2023).
2. The Open Champions aged 55 or under on 19 July 2026. (for all Champions from 2024).
3. The Open Champions for 2015-2025.
4. First 10 players and anyone tying for 10th place in The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush in 2025.
5. The first 50 players on the OWGR for Week 21, 2026. Blank entry will be made on behalf of the player(s).
6. First 25 players in the Final Race to Dubai Rankings for 2025.
7. The BMW PGA Championship winners for 2023-2025.
8. First 5 DP World Tour members and any DP World Tour members tying for 5th place, not otherwise exempt, in the top 20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings on completion of the 2026 BMW International Open. Blank entry will be made on behalf of the players.
9. The Masters Tournament Champions for 2022-2026.
10. The PGA Champions for 2022-2026.
11. The US Open Champions for 2022-2026. Blank entry will be made on behalf of the 2026 Champion.
12. First 30 players from the Final 2025 FedExCup Points List.
13. THE PLAYERS Champions for 2024-2026.
14. First 5 PGA TOUR members and any PGA TOUR members tying for 5th place, not otherwise exempt, in the top 20 of the PGA TOUR FedExCup Points List for 2026 on completion of the 2026 Travelers Championship. Blank entry will be made on behalf of the players.
15. The first player and anyone tying for that place, not otherwise exempt, in the 2026 LIV Golf Individual Season Standings on completion of LIV Golf Louisiana. Blank entry will be made on behalf of the player.
16. The first 5 players on the 2026 Federation Ranking List as of OWGR Week 21, 2026. Places 1-4 on this List may be determined before The Open closing date, as each season-ending Included Order of Merit is published. Blank entry will be made on behalf of the player(s).
17. The Senior Open Champion for 2025.
18. The US Amateur Champion for 2025.
19. The Mark H McCormack Medal (Men’s World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®)) winner for 2025.
20. The Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion 2025.
21. The Latin America Amateur Champion 2026.
22. The Africa Amateur Champion 2026.
23. The Amateur Champion for 2026. Blank entry will be made on behalf of the player(s).
24. The European Amateur Champion for 2026. Blank entry will be made on behalf of the player(s).
25. The Open Amateur Series winner 2026. Blank entry will be made on behalf of the player(s).
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