Augusta National and R and A offer select national open winners Masters and Open invitations
Masters champion Rory McIlroy and Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament Fred S. Ridley during the Green Jacket Presentation Ceremony in Butler Cabin after the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Sunday, April 13, 2025.
Augusta National Golf Club and The R&A have jointly announced that the winners or top finishers in six national opens will receive invitations to the Masters and The Open.
While the R&A will update its Open Qualifying Series criteria next month, the winners of the Scottish Open, Spanish Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open, Australian Open or the South African Open will win spots in The Masters and The Open.
“The Masters Tournament has long recognised the significance of having international representation among its invitees,” said Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament. “We, along with The R&A, have a shared commitment to the global game and are proud to work together.
“Today’s announcement strengthens our organisations’ collective vision of rewarding top talent around the world who rise to the top of historic national open championships.
Open champion, Scottie Scheffler. Picture: Getty/R&A
“We hope this formal recognition shines a bright light on these players and the events they will represent at the Masters and The Open, beginning next year.”
Augusta National also updated its criteria for awarding invitations to PGA Tour winners. (See full criteria for 2026)
The exemption applies “only to individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation (500 minimum) applied to the season-ending Tour Championship”, which rules out winners of Fall Series events.
The Open Qualifying Series has been in operation since 2013 and offers players entry into The Open through prestigious Tour events across the world. Beginning later this year, players can qualify for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale through 15 events in 13 countries.
Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A said: “We take great pride in the range of qualification routes we offer to players around the world through The Open Qualifying Series.
“We share the same goal as Augusta National to offer places in both The Open and the Masters to players competing in national opens and by doing so to help to showcase and strengthen our sport in those regions.
“This creates an outstanding opportunity for players in all parts of the world to qualify and we firmly believe this will continue to enrich the quality of the fields in both major championships.”
The schedule for The Open Qualifying Series and the list of exemptions for The 154th Open, scheduled for July 12 – 19 at Royal Birkdale, will be announced in September
The 2026 Masters will be the 90th playing of the tournament and is scheduled for April 6 – 12 with Rory McIlroy defending the title after he completed the career Grand Slam with his playoff win over Justin Rose in April.
