Last-Chance Qualifier

The push to secure the final place in The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale will see 12 players given the opportunity to compete in the Last-Chance Qualifier on Monday 13 July.

The Last-Chance Qualifier has been introduced in a series of enhancements intended to elevate the experience of attending The Open by providing fans with drama and excitement as golfers compete to earn the last, coveted spot in golf’s original Championship at the start of the week.

The stroke play event, starting at 7:30am on the Monday of Championship week, will be contested over 18 holes at Royal Birkdale with golfers being invited to compete in the field based on eligibility criteria which are consistent with the existing qualification process for The Open.

The 12 invited players and reserves for the Last-Chance Qualifier will be determined using criteria applied in order as follows:

1. The leading two non-exempt players in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) as published on Monday 6 July.

2. The runner-up in The Amateur Championship, provided that player is still an amateur on Monday 13 July.

3. Players who did not secure a place in The Open having been in a play-off at Final Qualifying.

4. Players who finished one position behind those who secured a place in The Open at Final Qualifying.

5. Players who were tied for a qualifying place in Open Qualifying Series events (excluding Scotland) but did not qualify due to a lower position in the Official World Golf Ranking, or by losing in the play-off for 1st place in the OQS event.

The full terms of competition and finer details of how a player can earn an invitation can be viewed here.

How is the field of 12 players determined?

The number of eligible golfers will likely exceed the number of places available and so once the first 12 eligible and available players have accepted their place in the field, a reserve list will be used. The reserve list for the Last-Chance Qualifier will be determined in order of exemption category until exhausted, at which point it will move to the next category. Only in exceptional circumstances may the Committee offer a place to such player(s) as they determine, including players not considered under the exemption categories, or choose not to replace the player.

How do you determine who is eligible under each exemption category?

Exemption 1 – The leading two non-exempt players in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) as published on Monday 6 July and who are not exempt before play has started at LCQ.

This mirrors the reserve process for The Open. The leading players not otherwise exempt from the OWGR as published on Monday 6 July make up the reserve list for The Open. If a player declines the opportunity to be a reserve for The Open or becomes otherwise exempt before The Open starts they are removed from the list and replaced by the next available player. For the purposes of the Last-Chance Qualifier, the two reserves for The Open at the time of the Last-Chance Qualifier will be invited to compete (time permitting).

Players in this exemption must register and compete in the Last-Chance Qualifier to retain their reserve status for The Open. If a player turns down the opportunity to be a reserve for The Open then they are automatically removed from the Last-Chance Qualifier field. Only under exceptional circumstances, The Open Championships Committee may waive this condition to allow a reserve for The Open to retain their reserve status without registering and playing in the LCQ.

Exemption 2 – The runner-up of The Amateur Championship, provided they are still an amateur on Monday 13 July.

Exemption 3 – Players who did not secure a place in The Open having been in a play-off at Final Qualifying (FQ).

In the event the number of players exceeds the starting field limit, the order in which this exemption is taken will be determined by 3(i) & (ii).

(i) a player will be taken from each FQ venue in strength of field order as determined by The R&A. One player will be taken from each venue before returning to the strongest field to take a second player and so on.

(ii) The order by which players are taken from each FQ venue will be decided based on the player's finishing place in their respective play-off until the eventual qualifier(s) was determined. In the event of tied finishing places in the play-off, the player with the highest OWGR ranking as published on Monday 29 June 2026 will be awarded the place.

Exemption 4 – Players that finished one position behind the competitors who secured a place in The Open at Final Qualifying (FQ).

In the event the number of players exceeds the starting field limit, the order in which this exemption is taken will be determined by 4(i) & (ii).

(i) a player will be taken from each FQ venue in strength of field order as determined by The R&A. One player will be taken from each venue before returning to the strongest field to take a second player and so on.

(ii) in the event of a tied score at each FQ venue, the player with the highest OWGR ranking as published on Monday 29 June 2026 will be awarded the place.

Exemption 5 - Players who were tied for a qualifying place in Open Qualifying Series events (excluding OQS Scotland) but did not qualify due to a lower position in the OWGR, or by losing in the play-off for 1st place in the OQS event. OQS Scotland is not included due to the close proximity of the scheduled completion time of the Genesis Scottish Open and the start of the Last-Chance Qualifier the following day.

The order in which this exemption is taken will be determined by 5(i) & (ii)

(i) a player will be taken from each OQS in strength of field order (as published by the OWGR). One player will be taken from each OQS based on 5(ii) before returning to the next strongest field to take a second player and so on.

(ii) the order of priority will be determined by the players OWGR rankings published Monday 29 June 2026.
If two ​or more players have the same OWGR, or two or more players have no OWGR, then ties will be decided by a card countback. The card countback will use the back 9 holes of the course or 6 or 3 or 2 or 1 hole and if a tie still arises, the last 6 or 3 or 2 or 1 hole of the front 9 holes of the course.

How will the place in The Open be decided if there is a tie after 18 holes in the Last-Chance Qualifier?

There will be a hole by hole play-off.

How does the Last-Chance Qualifier impact on the reserve list for The Open?

Reserves 1 and 2 for The Open (i.e. those competing in the Last-Chance Qualifier under exemption 1) will retain their reserve status until the full field has started the first round of The Open. Reserve 3 onwards will be awarded based on the finishing places in the Last-Chance Qualifier. In the event of tied finishing place(s), the player with the highest OWGR ranking as published on Monday 13 July 2026 (provided they are published) will be awarded the place. However, if there is a play-off to determine the qualifier, the finishing place(s) in the play-off up until the eventual qualifier is determined will supersede the OWGR ranking. For clarity, in the event of a play-off to determine the qualifier, the finishing places within the play-off will supersede the OWGR rankings until the qualifier is confirmed.

If either reserve 1 or 2 for The Open qualifies via the Last-Chance Qualifier, reserve position 2 will be determined by the results of the Last-Chance Qualifier.

What will the tee times be?

Four 3-ball pairings, starting from 7:30am

When will the field be known?

Players will be informed as they become exempt with the majority contacted on Wednesday 1 July with those players under exemption category 1 added from Monday 6 July.

What happens if an Open reserve does not wish to play in the Last-Chance Qualifier?

If they choose not to play in the Last-Chance Qualifier they will be removed from The Open reserve list and their position in both the Last-Chance Qualifier and The Open reserve list will be offered to the next highest-ranked golfer on OWGR, who is not already exempt, as published on Monday 6 July 2026.

At what point do you stop taking players from the OWGR reserve list to fill Open reserves 1& 2?

As soon as the Last-Chance Qualifier is underway the Open reserve list allocation is locked in and cannot change, with places on the reserve list (place 3 onwards) being populated based on the results of the Last-Chance Qualifier.

When will the draw for the Last-Chance Qualifier be published?

Saturday 11 July – time TBC.

How many players would have been eligible if the Last-Chance Qualifier was played at previous championships?