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7h ago

Masters and R&A Align 2026 Paths, Add Six National Open Winners to Masters Field

The overhaul creates parallel international routes into both majors.

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Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images
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Overview

  • Winners of the Scottish, Spanish, Japan, Hong Kong, Australian and South African Opens will earn invitations to the 2026 Masters, with those tournaments integrated into The Open’s qualifying series.
  • The changes apply immediately for the 2026 cycle, covering late-2025 champions (with the South African Open in early 2026), and the Masters is scheduled for April 9–12.
  • Masters exemptions for PGA Tour winners are now limited to events awarding a full FedEx Cup point allocation, ending automatic invites from the fall season.
  • The R&A will release the 2026 Open Qualifying Series schedule in September, with 15 events across 13 countries set to feed into Royal Birkdale.
  • There remains no direct Masters berth via the LIV Golf League, though LIV players can use these national opens as an indirect route while OWGR status for LIV stays under review.