A few days ago, the Open Championship announced the exemptions for the 153rd edition of the world’s oldest Major, which will be held in July at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. There was one piece of news that stole the spotlight. The Royal and Ancient, following in the footsteps of the US Open, reserved a spot for LIV Golf, you know, for the highest-ranked player within the top 5 after the Dallas tournament. The focus was on this novelty, overshadowing other changes that are almost as important, if not more so, than the Saudi upgrade.
The most striking change is the cut that the Open has made to the DP World Tour regarding exemptions. The only Major held in Europe has always had a special consideration for ‘its’ circuit. True, it’s not its circuit, but there is a more special connection than with the Masters, US Open, or PGA Championship. More than a cut, what the Royal and Ancient has done is a ‘slash’. Because seven are the spots that have been taken from the DP World Tour from one year to the next.
Let’s provide some background. Last year, the European Tour received a total of 48 direct spots distributed as follows: the top 30 from the previous year’s Race to Dubai, the top 5 from the Race to Dubai within the Top 20 who were not already qualified after the BMW International Open, and 13 distributed across various tournaments in the Old Continent’s calendar (Joburg Open, ISPS Handa Australian Open, Italian Open, KLM Open, and Scottish Open).
Well, in 2025 there will be 41 spots for the DP World Tour. The reduction is considerable, a little over 14.5 percent. Five spots have been removed from the previous year’s Race to Dubai. It has gone from 30 to 25. Additionally, spots have also been removed from the qualifying tournaments. Specifically, the KLM Open has disappeared from the calendar. The only thing that hasn’t been touched are the five spots for the top 20 after the BMW International Open.
In this case, what might hurt the European Tour and its members the most is the comparative grievance. The PGA Tour has only had two spots removed, those corresponding to the John Deere Classic, which has disappeared from the qualifying calendar. The American circuit now receives 44 spots, whereas it used to be 46. Previously, the European Tour was the most favoured in this distribution of exemptions, and now it falls behind the American circuit.
If you’re wondering where the four spots lost by Europe and the United States in the qualifying tournaments have gone, the answer is simple: the Royal and Ancient has decided to remove precisely four from the qualifying tournaments. They have gone from offering 28 spots to 24. The two from the KLM, the two from the John Deere, and one from the Korea Open have been lost (it offered two last year and now has one). On the other hand, the spot for the New Zealand Open, which takes place this week, has been gained.
This is how the 24 exemptions for the Open Championship qualifying tournaments stand:
New Zealand Open: 1
Arnold Palmer Invitational: 1
Memorial Tournament: 1
RBC Canadian Open: 3
Italian Open: 2
Scottish Open: 3 (valid for the PGA Tour and DP World Tour)
International Series Macao: 3
Mizuno Open: 3
Korea Open: 1
ISPS Handa Australian Open: 3
South African Open: 3
The International Series Macao has replaced the Malaysia Open, a tournament through which David Puig qualified last year. Additionally, the South African Open has replaced the Joburg Open.
