Masters, Open Align Qualification Criteria, Expand National Open Invitations Starting 2026

Augusta National Golf Club and The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (The R&A) have jointly announced significant changes to the qualification criteria for The Masters Tournament and The Open Championship starting in 2026. Winners of six national open championships—the Scottish Open, Spanish Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open, Australian Open, and South African Open—will now receive automatic invitations to both major tournaments, enhancing international representation and recognizing global elite golf talent. Concurrently, the Masters will cease granting automatic invitations to winners of PGA Tour Fall Series events, as only winners of PGA Tour events awarding a full-point allocation toward the season-ending Tour Championship will qualify automatically. This move ends invitations tied to the fall events, which typically feature weaker fields and have historically allowed winners to secure Masters spots despite lower competition levels. Both Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley and The R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon emphasized that these changes strengthen international pathways for top players and highlight the prestige of historic national opens. The Open Qualifying Series, in place since 2013, will continue to provide entry routes, and these adjustments aim to showcase and reward top talent worldwide more effectively.