New Rules at the Masters and Open Championship: Changes in Invitations
The Augusta National Golf Club and the R&A have announced significant changes to the qualifying criteria for the Masters and the Open Championship, which will take effect next year. These changes seek to strengthen international access routes to both major tournaments. From now on, the winners of six national opens, including the Scottish Open, the Spanish Open, the Japan Open, the Hong Kong Open, the Australian Open, and the South African Open, will receive direct invitations to participate in the Masters and the Open Championship. This joint decision seeks to recognize the growing importance and level of play in professional golf worldwide.In contrast, the winners of the seven PGA Tour FedEx fall tournaments will no longer receive Masters invitations, unless they qualify otherwise. The goal is to maintain a more reduced playing field at the Masters, seeking a more exclusive experience for the participants. These changes represent the first substantial modification to the Masters’ classification 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 Championship through The R&A’s Open Qualifying Series, which includes 15 tournaments in 13 countries.“The Masters Tournament has always recognized the importance of having international representation among its guests,” said Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters.
Fred Ridley
The mentioned opens 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). This modification also opens opportunities for LIV Golf players. The R&A has already created an exemption category for the best LIV player this year. Augusta National, for its part, prefers to use a special invitation if it considers that a player should be invited. Joaquín Niemann has received that invitation on two occasions. LIV players, although suspended by the PGA Tour, can participate in these national opens to try to earn a spot in the Open and the Masters. Niemann’s invitation to the Masters in 2024 was largely due to his victory at the Australian Open.“We share the same goal as Augusta National of offering places in both the Open and the Masters to players who compete in the national opens, and by doing so, help to showcase and strengthen our sport in those regions,” said Mark Darbon, R&A Chief Executive.
Mark Darbon
