Ryan Gerard

Ryan Gerard will make his debut at The Open, the only major he has yet to play in, when the Championship returns to Royal Birkdale in 2026.

Gerard 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.

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, the 26-year-old entered the world’s top 50 for the first time.

By December, Gerard 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. Early success came on the PGA Tour Canada, where he won the Quebec Open in just his fourth start.

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

Gerard has also won once on the Korn Ferry Tour – in the BMW Charity Pro-Am in 2024 – and his best major performance to date came at the 2025 PGA Championship where he finished T8 at Quail Hollow.