The R&A has confirmed the schedule of events for The Open Qualifying Series and exemption categories for next year’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
The Open Qualifying Series will begin in October and comprises 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.
The Spanish Open, Japan Open and 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, the Memorial Tournament and the Canadian Open, while the Argentina Open in South America will also offer a spot.
In Europe, the Italian Open and the Scottish Open will also offer places for golfers aiming to book their place at Royal Birkdale, while the Australian Open, New Zealand Open, Mizuno Open, Korea Open, South African Open and an additional event to be confirmed later this year by the Asian Tour will also offer qualifying places in The 154th 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, while a new Last-Chance Qualifier will be played at Royal Birkdale on Monday, 13 July, where 12 players will compete in a shoot-out for just one place.
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.”
Click here to view the full schedule of events in The Open Qualifying Series, and here to view the list of exemptions for The 154th Open.