The Open Championship 2026 now has its route to Royal Birkdale G.C. laid out, with Regional Qualifying set for Monday 22 June 2026, Final Qualifying on Tuesday 30 June 2026 and a new 12-man Last Chance Qualifying invitational at the course on Monday 13 July 2026. The championship itself follows from 16-19 July 2026.
That matters because the field will have 156 players, and most of them will arrive through exemption rather than the qualifying ladder. For everyone else, the path is now fixed: 26 places through The Open Qualifying Series, 20 through Final Qualifying, and a final shot at Royal Birkdale just six days before the championship begins.
Matt MOLONEY is already in that late invitation event after his efforts at Royal Liverpool G.C., giving him one more chance to reach the championship proper. He is part of the small group of amateurs and hopefuls now trying to turn a one-off entry into a place in the week’s main event.
The wider amateur picture is not fully closed. There are five amateurs already in the field at Royal Birkdale G.C., and two more guaranteed spots were still to be resolved after the European Amateur, leaving the final make-up of that group tied to the results of a tournament scheduled for 24-27 June. The Open Championship Amateur Series, introduced by The R&A in 2023, also remains part of the route into the championship.
There is one complication inside the amateur exemptions. Jackson KOIVUN had earned a place through the 2025 Mark H. McCormack Medal, but he became ineligible for that category after turning professional following the U.S. Open Championship. That opens up room elsewhere in the field, and it is part of why the amateur count is still shifting even with the championship only weeks away.
Regional Qualifying will be played over 18 holes at 16 venues across Great Britain and Ireland, with entry open to any professional or amateur holding a handicap index no higher than 0.4 or a WAGR listing from 1st-2,000th during 2024-25 for a £200 fee. The number of places available from each venue normally ranges from seven to 10, depending on field size, while the championship’s 26 Open Qualifying Series places come through 15 professional tour events in 13 countries.
Most of the 156-player field will still be made up of exempt players, including major champions, winners on professional tours and leading players in the world rankings. For those outside that group, the calendar now leaves little ambiguity: qualify in June, try again at Final Qualifying, or take the last chance at Royal Birkdale on the Monday before play begins.
