2026 Open Championship field: Who will tee up at Royal Birkdale and how did they qualify?

Who’s in the 2026 Open Championship field and what did they do to earn a spot at Royal Birkdale? Here’s the full rundown…

The 2026 Open Championship field is already starting to take shape! So let’s take a look at who’s in and how they booked their place.

Where will the 2026 Open be played?

The Open returns to Royal Birkdale for the first time since 2017, when Jordan Spieth won by three shots despite a dramatic final round.

Royal Birkdale is in Southport, Merseyside, on England’s North West coast. It has hosted The Open 10 times previously.

Royal Birkdale previous Open winners

How do you qualify for The Open?

There are a number of ways you can earn a spot in the 156-man field.

The majority of the field will be comprised of exemptions granted to professionals and amateurs in recognition of their previous achievements (more details on those below).

For those not exempt, there are also a series of qualifying events that can secure your entry into The Open.

One of these is the Open Qualifying Series, which offers up to three places at 15 tour events in 11 countries.

There is also a series of qualifying events in the run-up to the tournament.

Local Qualifying is open to any male professional golfer, any male amateur golfer with a handicap of 0.4 or lower, and any female golfer who finished in the top 5 and ties in the latest edition of any of the five women’s majors.

Make it through Local Qualifying and you enter Final Qualifying – four 36-hole, one-day events played simultaneously across the UK, with 20 spots at The Open (five at each venue) up for grabs.

New for 2026, the R&A have also introduced a ‘Last-Chance Qualifier’ – a winner-takes-all showdown on the Monday of Open week.

Up to 12 players will compete over 18 holes at Royal Birkdale to decide who earns the very final place in the Open field.

If the field size has not reached 156, the highest-rated player(s) in the Official World Golf Rankings not already qualified will be added to the field.

Open Championship exemption categories

There are currently 27 categories – including one for LIV Golf players – as well as the Open Qualifying Series and Open Final Qualifying.

They are:

1. The Open champions aged 60 or under on July 19, 2026 (for all Champions up until 2023)
2. The Open champions aged 55 or under on July 19, 2026 (for all Champions from 2024)
3. The Open champions for 2015-2025
4. The top 10 (and ties) at the 2025 Open
5. The top 50 players on the OWGR for Week 21, 2026
6. The top 25 in the final Race to Dubai Rankings for 2025
7. The BMW PGA Championship winners for 2023-2025
8. The top 5 DP World Tour members (and ties), who are not otherwise exempt, in the top 20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings on completion of the 2026 BMW International
9. The Masters champions for 2021-2026
10. The PGA champions for 2021-2026
11. The US Open champions for 2021-2026
12. The top 30 players from the final 2025 FedEx Cup Points List
13. The Players champions for 2024-2026
14. The top 5 PGA Tour members (and ties), who are not exempt, in the top 20 of the FedEx Cup Points List for 2026 on completion of the 2026 Travelers Championship
15. The top player (and ties), who are not otherwise exempt, in the top 5 of the 2025 LIV Golf Individual Season Standings on completion of LIV Golf Dallas
16. The Visa Open de Argentina champion for 2026
17. The top 5 players on the 2026 Federations Ranking List as of closing date
18. The Japan Open champion for 2025
19. The Senior Open champion for 2025
20. The US Amateur champion for 2025
21. The Mark H McCormack Medal for leading player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 2025
22. The Asia-Pacific Amateur champion for 2025
23. The Latin America Amateur champion for 2026
24. The Africa Amateur champion for 2026
25. The Amateur champion for 2026
26. The European Amateur champion for 2026
27. The Open Amateur Series winner for 2026

Golfers given exemptions as amateurs must retain their amateur status up to and during The Open. If they choose to turn pro before The Open, they must qualify via an alternative route or forego their place.

Open Qualifying venues

For golfers who don’t meet any exemption criteria, there are three ways in which to qualify for The Open…

Open Qualifying Series

Each event in the Open Qualifying Series offers spots in the Royal Birkdale field to the highest-placed finisher, or finishers, who are not already exempt.

• Open de Espana (one place)
• Japan Open (one place)
• Hong Kong Open (one place)
• Australian Open (three places)
• New Zealand Open (three places)
• South African Open (three places)
• Argentina Open (one place)
• Arnold Palmer Invitational (one place)
• Korea Open (one place)
• Mizuno Open (three places)
• Memorial Tournament (one place)
• Canadian Open (three places)
• Open d’Italia (one place)
• Scottish Open (three places)

Open Final Qualifying

While the venues for Open Final Qualifying in 2026 are yet to be confirmed, they are expected to remain at Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald, Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancs.

Last Chance Qualifier

Finally, new for 2026 is the Last Chance Qualifier, which will see 12 players compete over Royal Birkdale’s stunning links on the Monday of Open week to grab the 156th and final spot in the field.

Who’s in the 2026 Open Championship field?

Though it’s too early for many of the above exemption categories to apply – and qualification events haven’t started yet – some players have already qualified for the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale by virtue of past performances.

Some of the players listed, while exempt, are highly unlikely to take up their spot. Many former champions decide to cease participating when they no longer deem themselves competitive. David Duval and Paul Lawrie, for example, haven’t played since 2022, while Tiger Woods skipped the 2025 Open due to ongoing injury problems.

• How much does it actually cost to spend a day at The Open? You might be surprised…