Changes at the Masters and The Open: New Qualification Paths
Augusta National Golf Club and the R&A announced this Tuesday significant modifications to the qualification criteria for the Masters and The Open Championship, starting next year. The winners of six national open tournaments, including the Scottish Open, Spanish Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open, Australian Open and South African Open, will now receive invitations to participate in both prestigious championships. This decision seeks to strengthen international pathways to access major golf tournaments, recognizing the growing importance of golf worldwide.In addition, it was announced that the winners of the seven PGA Tour fall tournaments will no longer receive invitations to the Masters, unless they qualify through another way. The change in classification categories for the Masters focuses on individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full allocation of points for the Tour Championship at the end of the season. The Masters, known for having the smallest field among the four majors, seeks to keep its number of participants below 100 to optimize the playing experience. This is the first significant modification to the Masters’ ranking criteria since 2013. The affected fall tournaments are the Procore Championship, Sanderson Farms Championship, Baycurrent Classic, Bank of Utah Championship, World Wide Technology Championship, Butterfield Bermuda Championship, and the RSM Classic. International golfers can also qualify for The Open through The R&A’s Open Qualifying Series, which encompasses 15 tournaments in 13 countries.“The Masters Tournament has always recognized the importance of international representation among its invitees,” stated Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters.
Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club
The open tournaments identified by the R&A and Augusta National are part of the Asian Tour (Hong Kong), Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour (South Africa), PGA Tour of Australasia, and European Tour (Scotland and Spain). Although not the main goal, these modifications also provide opportunities for LIV Golf players. The R&A created an exemption category for the leading LIV player this year. Joaquín Niemann has received a special invitation to the Masters twice. LIV players, although suspended by the PGA Tour, can participate in these national opens to seek a place in The Open and the Masters.“We share the same goal as Augusta National of offering places in both The Open and the Masters to players competing in the national opens,” said Mark Darbon, R&A Chief Executive.
Mark Darbon, Director Ejecutivo de la R&A
