Open Qualifying 2026 now has a new final step. Regional Qualifying lands on 22 June, Final Qualifying follows on 30 June, and a first-ever 12-man Last Chance Qualifying will take place on 13 July at Royal Birkdale G.C.
That last-stage event sits four days before the 154th Open Championship begins at Royal Birkdale on 16 July. It gives one more route into a 156-man field that will be filled mostly by exempt players, with the remaining places spread across the qualifying system.
Matt MOLONEY reaches Royal Birkdale G.C.
Matt MOLONEY has already booked one of the 12 places in that invitational event through his efforts at Royal Liverpool G.C. The Amateur Championship runner-up now moves into the most compressed stage of the entire route, with two rounds of nine holes set to decide who stays alive at Royal Birkdale.
The field around him is already partly set. Mason HOWELL, Fifa LAPAKDEE, Mateo PULCINI, Jack BUCHANAN and Stuart GREHAN have secured amateur places, while two more guaranteed spots are due after the European Amateur finishes between 24 and 27 June.
Regional Qualifying and Final Qualifying
Regional Qualifying will be played over 18 holes at 16 venues across Great Britain and Ireland on 22 June, with any professional or amateur eligible if they meet the 0.4 handicap index or WAGR listing requirements and pay the £200 entry fee. Each site normally receives between 7 and 10 qualifying spots, feeding the next stage.
Final Qualifying on 30 June carries 20 places into the Open itself, while 26 places have been allocated through The Open Qualifying Series. That leaves the new Last Chance Qualifying as the last route into Royal Birkdale before the Championship begins.
Jackson KOIVUN and the amateur mix
Jackson KOIVUN won the 2025 Mark H. McCormack Medal, but he has turned professional after the U.S. Open Championship and is no longer eligible under that route. Last year, Frazer JONES, Connor GRAHAM, Seb CAVE and Richard TEDER came through Final Qualifying, lifting the amateur total at Royal Portrush to nine.
Which 12 players will make the cut for the first-ever Last Chance Qualifying event at Royal Birkdale G.C. will now shape the final amateur and professional mix heading into the 154th Open Championship.
