The Open Qualifying Series

The road to The 150th Open has begun with the staging of the Joburg Open, the first event in The Open Qualifying Series for 2022.

We tell you all you need to know about The Open Qualifying Series and qualification for The Open.

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How can you qualify for The Open?

There are several ways in which players can qualify for The Open Championship.

More than half of the 156 places in the field are granted through various exemption categories. For example, players already exempt include any Champion Golfer under the age of 60, the top 10 finishers at the previous Open Championship, the winners of selected elite amateur events and the top 30 finishers on the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai rankings. A full list of exemption categories for The 150th Open will be released shortly.

Further places in the field are allocated through The Open Qualifying Series and Final Qualifying.

If a full field of 156 has not been reached through the exemption list, The Open Qualifying Series and Final Qualifying, the remaining places will be filled from the Official World Golf Rankings.

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What is The Open Qualifying Series?

The Open Qualifying Series, or OQS, comprises a series of professional tour events across multiple continents at which players can secure their spots in The Open. Each event will offer places in The Open for players who are not already exempt.

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Which tournaments are in The Open Qualifying Series for 2022?

The Joburg Open was the opening event in The Open Qualifying Series for 2022.

The R&A is working together with the leading men’s professional tours to finalise arrangements for the remaining events and they will be confirmed in the coming months as schedules are finalised.

Professional and amateur players will also be able to reach The Open via Regional and Final Qualifying, on Monday 20 June and Tuesday 28 June respectively.

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How many places in The 150th Open are available through The Open Qualifying Series?

A minimum of 46 places will be available through The Open Qualifying Series and Final Qualifying. Three spots at St Andrews are up for grabs this week at the Joburg Open, for the leading three golfers finishing in the top 10 and ties who are not already exempt.

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Who has qualified for The 150th Open through The Open Qualifying Series so far?

Joburg Open: Thriston Lawrence, Zander Lombard and Ashley Chesters.

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How do I follow The Open Qualifying Series?

TheOpen.com and The Open’s social channels will provide coverage of every event in The Open Qualifying Series, including a preview of each tournament and reports that detail which players have booked their places in The 150th Open.

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Who is playing in The Open Qualifying Series?

TheOpen.com will display starting fields in the days leading up to each event in The Open Qualifying Series.

What will happen if players subsequently become exempt through other categories?

Any player who has qualified through The Open Qualifying Series is deemed an exempt player. In the event that the player in question subsequently fulfils other exemption categories, their place in the starting field may be made available to the highest-ranked players on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) after the close of entries.

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What happens if there is a tie for the last qualifying spot?

In the event of a tie for a qualifying place, with the exception of ties for first place, which will be determined in accordance with the conditions for the tournament concerned, the player with the higher ranking in the OWGR (as published at the start of each week) will be awarded a place in The Open.

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What if players in the field are not ranked on the OWGR or have the same OWGR ranking?

If two or more competitors have the same OWGR, or two or more competitors have no OWGR, then ties will be decided by a card countback. The card countback will use the second 9 holes 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 first 9 holes of the final round in OQS. If a tie still arises the same card countback will be used for the 3rd, 2nd and 1st rounds of the tournament.

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When was The Open Qualifying Series introduced?

The Open Qualifying Series was introduced ahead of The 143rd Open at Royal Liverpool in 2014.

For a decade prior to that, players were given the opportunity to compete in International Final Qualifying - separate 36-hole qualifiers in the United States of America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia.

The Open Qualifying Series includes events on all the major Tours around the world and is more convenient for the players as it will not involve separate events added to the schedules.