The Masters is making a uncommon change to its qualifying standards by eliminating invites to PGA Tour winners within the fall and becoming a member of the R&A in recognizing winners of six nationwide opens on each essential tour on this planet.
Augusta Nationwide and the R&A introduced plans Tuesday to align facets of their standards to create a path to the Masters and British Open for winners or high finishers within the South African Open, Australian Open, Japan Open, Spanish Open, Hong Kong Open and Scottish Open.
The Opens in South Africa and Australia are among the many 5 oldest in golf.
This builds on the “Open Qualifying Sequence” the R&A created in 2013 to draw gamers from each continent the place golf is performed. The distinction is that Augusta Nationwide invitations solely the winner, whereas the British Open usually present three or 4 spots for the main finishers.
“The Masters Event has lengthy recognised the importance of getting worldwide illustration amongst its invitees,” R&A Chairman Fred Ridley stated. “We, together with The R&A, have a shared dedication to the worldwide sport and are proud to work collectively. In the present day’s announcement strengthens our organisations’ collective imaginative and prescient of rewarding high expertise around the globe who rise to the highest of historic nationwide open championships.” The Masters has the smallest subject of the 4 majors and prefers it keep below 100 gamers to reinforce their expertise.
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Including as many as six spots from the nationwide opens meant shedding the invites to the PGA Tour’s weaker fall occasions. Final 12 months, all eight winners within the fall weren’t already eligible and 4 of them had been outdoors the highest 100 on this planet rating.
The earlier 12 months, three of the autumn winners had been outdoors the highest 150 on this planet. These tournaments fall after the FedEx Cup season and sometimes are gamers who’re making an attempt to maintain their tour playing cards.
Ridley had stated in April on the Masters that the membership seems to be at its {qualifications} every year. He stated worldwide occasions “might be a part of our examination.” The Masters had made a number of tweaks through the years, akin to including the NCAA champion to the sphere. However that is the primary vital change since 2013 when it did away with the highest 30 from the PGA Tour cash listing and decreased from the highest 16 to the highest 12 main finishers within the earlier Masters.
Apart from the Scottish Open in July, which is sanctioned by the PGA Tour and European tour, the opposite nationwide opens Augusta Nationwide and the R&A recognized are from October by way of February.
The R&A will launch in September its Open Qualifying Sequence for the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale, however the six nationwide opens might be a part of them. This 12 months’s Open included 24 gamers who earned spots by way of 11 occasions as a part of the Open Qualifying Sequence. That didn’t embody the Hong Kong Open, Spanish Open or Japan Open, although the Japan Open winner was exempt by way of a special class.
“We’re delighted to have the power of the Masters supporting the nationwide opens,” stated Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, championships director. “It sends a very highly effective message to the globe about these pathways to our championships, and it shines a lightweight on these excursions.” The opens recognized by the R&A and Augusta Nationwide are a part of the Asian Tour (Hong Kong), Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour, PGA Tour of Australian and European tour.
Although not the target, it additionally creates alternative for gamers from Saudi-backed LIV Golf. The R&A created an exemption class for the main LIV participant this 12 months. Augusta Nationwide didn’t, preferring to make use of its particular invitation if it feels somebody ought to be invited. Joaquin Niemann has acquired that invitation twice.
However LIV gamers, whereas suspended by the PGA Tour, can enter these nationwide opens to chase spots to the Open and Masters. Niemann’s invitation to the Masters in 2024 was largely as a consequence of his Australian Open victory.
Printed on Aug 27, 2025