Ryan Gerard

Ryan Gerard finished T9 on his Open debut, at Royal Birkdale in 2026.

He secured his place in the field through his world ranking thanks to a series of strong performances on the PGA TOUR, including a second-place finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii and a share of second at The American Express.

And rounds of 67, 67, 69 and 72 in Southport helped him achieve a second career major top-10.

After winning his maiden event on the PGA TOUR last July at the Barracuda Championship, held in the same week as The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, Gerard entered the world’s top 50 for the first time.

By December, he was ranked 57th heading into the final tournament week of the year. He then played in the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, with a second-place finish good enough to see him return to the top 50, and with it, earn an invitation to the 2026 Masters. He duly finished T38 at Augusta National.

Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Gerard starred at the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 2022.

He first gained widespread attention in 2023 after qualifying for the Honda Classic and finishing fourth, four shots behind winner Chris Kirk.

Gerard won once on the Korn Ferry Tour, in the BMW Charity Pro-Am in 2024.