MJ Daffue

MJ Daffue finished joint-top of the leaderboard during Final Qualifying at Royal Cinque Ports to earn himself a place at The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale.

After rounds of 67 and 65 on the Kent coast, the South African makes the Open field for the first time.

The South African turned professional in 2012 after a successful collegiate career at Lamar University, where he won five tournaments, including back-to-back Southland Conference Championships in 2011 and 2012.

Daffue earned a PGA TOUR card in 2022 after a strong showing on the Korn Ferry Tour, which saw him record four top-three finishes.

He earned his first professional wins in 2026 at the NTT Data Pro-Am and DP World PGTI Open, while his only previous major appearance came at the 2022 US Open after he qualified. Daffue then finished T31 after briefly topping the leaderboard during the second round.

Away from the course, Daffue has spoken openly about overcoming depression following the tragic death of his future mother-in-law in 2013, with University of Houston director of golf Jonathan Dismuke playing a pivotal role in helping him rebuild both his confidence and career.