Final qualifying for The 154th Open opened on Tuesday 30 June with 288 golfers chasing 20 open qualification places. Four venues are involved, and each one offers five places after 36 holes.
Sergio Garcia and Danny Willett were among the names in the field at West Lancashire. Garcia is chasing a 27th appearance at The Championship, while Willett has already posted top-10 finishes at St Andrews in 2015 and Royal Portrush in 2019.
West Lancashire Draws Attention
West Lancashire also brought Wesley Bryan and George Bryan into the frame, which added a different kind of interest to the day. George Bryan reached Regional Qualifying at Hesketh with a three-under-par 68 and finished joint top with Abel Eduard.
Richard Teder’s return to West Lancashire gave the venue another layer. He was back after winning a play-off there in 2025, when he became the first Estonian to reach The Open, but the route did not change: another 36 holes stood between him and a place in the field.
Dundonald Links And Burnham & Berrow
Dundonald Links brought its own pressure points. Robert Rock, who has made eight Open appearances and finished tied seventh at St Andrews in 2010, was in the mix there, alongside Angel Hidalgo, who has already qualified at the venue in each of the past two years after holing out for eagle in 2024.
Connor Graham returned after progressing through Dundonald Links last year, while Niall Shiels Donegan was part of the 2025 Walker Cup group mentioned in the field. Ryder Cowan also drew attention after sharing low amateur honours with Jackson Koivun at the 2025 US Open.
Burnham & Berrow and Royal Cinque Ports completed the four-venue setup. Fans could follow live updates and scoring on TheOpen.com, while the latter stages were broadcast on The R&A’s YouTube channel and live coverage was also available on The Open Radio.
The structure left no room for drift. With five places at each venue and only 20 spots on offer, the day’s work at Dundonald Links, West Lancashire, Burnham & Berrow and Royal Cinque Ports decided who kept their Open hopes alive and who had to wait for another route in.
