The Augusta National Golf Club and the R&A have just officially announced that the winners of six national opens will secure a place in the next edition of both the Masters and the Open Championship. This measure affects the Open de España, whose winner will gain direct entry to both the prestigious event at Augusta National and the famous British. A bombshell that no one expected, which will start with the 2026 editions of the majors and significantly revitalises the tournaments to which it applies.
Specifically, for this year, it concerns the opens of Scotland, Spain, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, and South Africa. The statement made public by both organisations through social media says: “The Augusta National Golf Club and the R&A have today jointly announced their plans to harmonise certain aspects of the qualification criteria for the Masters and the Open, granting invitations to the winners and top finishers of certain national opens from this point forward.”
“This approach builds on the successful and established Open Qualifying Series of the R&A and will ensure strong international participation in both major championships from various professional tours, thus recognising the global strength of elite professional golf,” it adds.
“The Masters has long recognised the importance of having international representation among its invitees,” stated Fred Ridley, chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters. “Together with The R&A, we share a commitment to global golf and are proud to work together. Today’s announcement reinforces our organisations’ collective vision to reward the best talent from around the world who reach the pinnacle of historic national open championships. We hope this formal recognition will highlight these players and the events they will represent in the Masters and the Open from next year.”
Invitations to the Masters and @TheOpen will be provided to winners of select national open championships across several international tours.
For the Masters, qualification 17 has been amended to award invitations only to individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a… pic.twitter.com/HGj9MEyaxk
— The Masters (@TheMasters) August 26, 2025
The Open Qualifying Series has been operating since 2013 and offers players the chance to participate in the Open through prestigious tour events worldwide. From the end of this year, players will be able to qualify for the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale through 15 events in 13 countries.
Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, said: “We are very proud of the variety of qualification pathways we offer to players around the world through the Open Qualifying Series. We share the same goal as Augusta National of offering places in both the Open and the Masters to players competing in national opens and, in doing so, help to promote and strengthen our sport in those regions. This represents an exceptional opportunity for players from all over the world to qualify, and we firmly believe it will continue to enrich the quality of the fields in both major championships.”
Among the access criteria for both the Masters and the Open Championship of 2026 related to these six national opens, it is specified that it is granted to the current champions of the six events for one year. That is, it seems to be a measure that would change year by year the tournaments it affects, to offer this possibility in other places independently or on a rotating basis, pending official confirmation.
