What's In The Bag Database & Tour Stats
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What's In The Bag Database & Tour StatsRoyal Birkdale · July 16-19, 2026
93 of ~156 players confirmed
~115 of 156 known. OWGR top-50 cutoff May 25; BMW PGA winner & late OQS events fill through summer. Final Qualifying June 30 (12 spots). Last-Chance Qualifier July 13 (1 spot). Cross-verified against Wikipedia, theopen.com, Today's Golfer, and tour-specific sources.
The Open Championship — golf's oldest major, dating to 1860 — is conducted by The R&A and contested entirely on links courses in the British Isles. The 2026 Open returns to Royal Birkdale for the 11th time. The 156-player field is determined through 25+ exemption categories plus a 15-event global Open Qualifying Series, four-venue Final Qualifying on June 30, and a brand-new Last-Chance Qualifier — a one-day, 12-player Monday shootout at Royal Birkdale itself for the final spot in the field.
Open Qualifying Series — Open de España
October 9–12, 2025
Marco Penge (playoff) — also earned Masters via national-open route.
Open Qualifying Series — Japan Open Championship
October 16–19, 2025
Naoyuki Kataoka (Japan).
Open Qualifying Series — Hong Kong Open
October 30 – November 2, 2025
Tom McKibbin won by 7 with course-record 60.
Open Qualifying Series — Australian Open
December 4–7, 2025
Tournament won by Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (DEN). OQS spots (3 to non-exempt finishers): Si Woo Kim (T3), Michael Hollick (RSA, 4th), Adam Scott (T5 — 26th consecutive Open).
Open Qualifying Series — Visa Argentina Open
February 26 – March 1, 2026
Alistair Docherty (USA).
Open Qualifying Series — South African Open
February 26 – March 1, 2026
3 spots: Casey Jarvis, Frederic Lacroix, Francesco Laporta.
Open Qualifying Series — New Zealand Open
February 26 – March 1, 2026
Tournament won by Daniel Hillier (NZL); OQS spot to Lucas Herbert (top non-exempt finisher).
Open Qualifying Series — Arnold Palmer Invitational
March 5–8, 2026
Tournament won by Akshay Bhatia (1-hole playoff over Berger — first APInv playoff since 1999). Bhatia already exempt; OQS spot to Daniel Berger as runner-up.
Open Qualifying Series — Singapore Open
April 23–26, 2026
Wire-to-wire win by Jeongwoo Ham (KOR) at -16. OQS spots: Jeongwoo Ham + Cameron John (AUS, runner-up).
OWGR Top-50 Cutoff (Week 21)
May 25, 2026
Top 50 OWGR after the PGA Championship earn exemptions.
Open Qualifying Series — Mizuno Open
May 28–31, 2026
3 spots (Japan Golf Tour).
Open Qualifying Series — The Memorial
June 4–7, 2026
1 spot (PGA Tour).
Open Qualifying Series — RBC Canadian Open
June 11–14, 2026
3 spots (PGA Tour).
Open Qualifying Series — Open d'Italia
June 25–28, 2026
1 spot (DP World Tour).
Final Qualifying — 4 UK venues
June 30, 2026
Dundonald Links, Royal Cinque Ports, Royal Porthcawl (NEW), West Lancashire — 36 holes, 12 spots.
Open Qualifying Series — Genesis Scottish Open
July 9–12, 2026
3 spots — last-chance OQS event.
Last-Chance Qualifier (NEW for 2026)
July 13, 2026
Royal Birkdale, 18 holes. 12 players, 1 spot. Top non-exempt OWGR (July 6) + Amateur Championship runner-up + FQ playoff near-misses.
Exempt as past champion (under-60 cutoff) but recovering from October 2025 back surgery (collapsed L4-5 disc) and 2025 Achilles tear. Stepping away for treatment after a March 27 rollover crash and DUI arrest. Did not play 2026 Masters; July playing status uncertain.
2026-04
Phil MickelsonExempt as 2013 Open Champion (under-60 cutoff) but withdrew from 2026 Masters citing a family health matter, said he'd be out "for an extended period of time." Open Championship status not formally confirmed.
2026-04
Players grouped by qualifying pathway. 93 of ~156 confirmed.
Southport, England
George Lowe (1889); modernised by F.G. Hawtree & Fred Hawtree
1889
70
~7,156 yards
10 Opens: 1954, 1961, 1965, 1971, 1976, 1983, 1991, 1998, 2008, 2017. Plus Walker Cups, Curtis Cups, and Ryder Cups (1965, 1969).
Past Open winners at Birkdale read like a hall of fame: Peter Thomson (1954, 1965), Arnold Palmer (1961), Lee Trevino (1971), Johnny Miller (1976), Tom Watson (1983), Ian Baker-Finch (1991), Mark O'Meara (1998), Padraig Harrington (2008), and Jordan Spieth (2017). Spieth's 2017 win came with a wire-to-wire 3-shot victory over Matt Kuchar including an eagle from the drop zone on 13. Branden Grace shot 62 on Saturday — the first sub-63 round in major-championship history. The 2017 Open drew 235,000 spectators (then a record). Birkdale's defining feature is its dune-flanked fairways with flat valleys — rare for a links course — giving true lies and demanding shotmaking on the par-3s.
Every pathway into the field, regardless of whether anyone has yet qualified through it.
Past Open Champions remain exempt through age 60 (extended from 55 in 2017). Older champions are honorary, non-competing.
Players who finished in the top 10 (and ties) at the 2025 Open at Royal Portrush. Scheffler won at -17.
Players ranked top 50 in the OWGR after the PGA Championship (May 25 cutoff) earn exemptions. List finalised that date.
The top 25 players from the final 2025 DP World Tour Race to Dubai standings are exempt.
Winners of the DP World Tour's flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, in the last three years.
Top 5 DP World Tour members not otherwise exempt from the Race to Dubai standings after the late-June 2026 BMW International Open.
Winners of the Masters from the last six years are exempt.
Winners of the PGA Championship from the last six years are exempt. The 2026 winner (May 14-17) will be added.
Winners of the U.S. Open from the last six years are exempt. The 2026 winner (June 18-21) will be added.
All 30 players from the final 2025 FedEx Cup standings (post-Tour Championship) are exempt.
The most recent three winners of THE PLAYERS Championship are exempt.
The top 5 not-otherwise-exempt PGA Tour members ranked in the top 20 of the FedEx Cup after the 2026 Travelers (late June) earn exemptions.
The leader of the 2025 LIV Golf Individual Standings (one spot) and top non-exempt finishers from 2026 LIV standings after LIV Louisiana earn exemptions if not otherwise exempt.
The reigning Argentine Open champion earns an Open Championship spot via the OQS.
The reigning Senior Open Championship winner is invited.
The Open Qualifying Series spans 15 designated tournaments worldwide on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour, Japan Golf Tour, and Australian PGA Tour. The leading non-exempt players from each event earn Open spots. Nine events are now complete.
The reigning U.S. Amateur champion is exempt (must remain amateur).
The 2025 winner of the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the top-ranked male amateur on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
The reigning Asia-Pacific Amateur champion is exempt.
The reigning Latin America Amateur champion is exempt.
The 2026 Amateur Championship (R&A) winner — to be decided in June 2026 — is exempt.
The 2026 European Amateur champion is exempt.
The 2026 African Amateur champion is exempt.
The leading combined finisher across The Amateur Championship, the European Amateur, and the St Andrews Links Trophy earns a spot.
Top 5 from the International Federation Ranking List 2026 (combining Asian, Japan Golf, and Sunshine tours) are exempt.
A 36-hole, one-day shootout on June 30, 2026 at four UK venues: Dundonald Links (Scotland), Royal Cinque Ports (Kent), Royal Porthcawl (Wales — new addition), and West Lancashire (North West). Approximately 3 spots per venue, 12 total.
A Monday 18-hole shootout at Royal Birkdale on July 13 — first time The Open has used a same-week qualifier. 12 players (top non-exempt OWGR + Amateur Championship runner-up + Final Qualifying playoff/near-miss + OQS tied non-qualifiers) compete for 1 final spot in the field.
The Open Championship 2026 is broadcast on NBC, USA Network and Peacock in the United States, on Sky Sports (live) and the BBC (highlights and limited live) in the UK & Ireland, and via 30+ broadcast partners across 199 countries worldwide.
NBC — Lead weekend coverage
USA Network — Early coverage Rounds 1-2
Golf Channel — Featured Groups + lead-in coverage
Peacock — Simulstream + on-demand
Times shifted earlier than other majors due to UK time zone.
Sky Sports Golf — Live coverage of all four rounds
BBC — Highlights and select live coverage (rights through 2030)
NOW — Streaming option without a Sky subscription
Australia — Fox Sports / Kayo
Canada — TSN
Japan — NHK
Europe — Sky Sport (DE/IT/AT), Canal+ (FR), Movistar+ (ES)
Latin America — ESPN Latin America
30+ broadcast partners across 199 countries/territories per R&A.
TheOpen.com — Tournament hub: leaderboard, stats, highlights
Featured Groups — On Peacock (US) and Sky Sports (UK)
Peacock streams are geo-restricted to the US — see VPN section below.
A VPN lets you access US-only streams from anywhere in the world.
The 154th Open will be held July 16-19, 2026 at Royal Birkdale on the Lancashire coast in Southport, England — the 11th Open at Birkdale. A new same-week Last-Chance Qualifier plays at Birkdale on Monday July 13.
Scottie Scheffler won the 2025 Open at Royal Portrush at -17, 4 strokes clear of the field — his first Claret Jug. He returns as defending champion. A Birkdale title would complete his career grand slam path (he is missing only the U.S. Open).
About half the 156-player field qualifies via OWGR ranking, recent major wins, and tour performance. The other half comes through a 15-event global Open Qualifying Series (designated tournaments where leading non-exempt players earn spots), Final Qualifying — a 36-hole one-day shootout on June 30 at four UK venues — and a brand-new Last-Chance Qualifier on Monday July 13 at Royal Birkdale itself: 12 players, 18 holes, 1 spot.
For the first time, The Open has added a same-week Monday qualifier — July 13, 2026 at Royal Birkdale. Twelve players compete in an 18-hole shootout for one final spot in Thursday's field. Eligibility: top 2 non-exempt OWGR (as of July 6), the Amateur Championship runner-up (if still amateur), Final Qualifying playoff near-misses, and OQS tied non-qualifiers ranked lower in OWGR.
In the US, NBC, USA Network and Golf Channel split lead coverage with all four rounds streaming on Peacock. In the UK & Ireland, Sky Sports Golf has all four rounds; the BBC carries highlights and limited live coverage under rights through 2030. International viewers can use a VPN to access US or UK streams.
Royal Birkdale is one of nine courses on The Open rota and has hosted ten Opens, dating back to 1954. Past winners at Birkdale read like a hall of fame: Peter Thomson (1954, 1965), Arnold Palmer (1961), Lee Trevino (1971), Johnny Miller (1976), Tom Watson (1983), Ian Baker-Finch (1991), Mark O'Meara (1998), Padraig Harrington (2008), and Jordan Spieth (2017). Birkdale's defining feature is dune-flanked fairways with flat valleys — rare for a links — giving true lies that demand precise iron play. The 2017 Open drew 235,000 spectators and produced Branden Grace's Saturday 62, the first sub-63 round in major-championship history.
The first Open was played in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club, won by Willie Park Sr. — making it 35 years older than the U.S. Open and 76 years older than the Masters. It is the only major contested entirely on links courses, where firm turf, wind, and pot bunkers reward creativity over power.
Yes — eligibility is via the same exemption categories as everyone else. Past Open champions (Cameron Smith), recent major winners (Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm), top-50 OWGR players, and Open Qualifying Series winners (Tom McKibbin, the LIV phenom who dominated the Hong Kong Open) all qualify. Joaquin Niemann is exempt via 2025 LIV Individual Standings (Niemann was 2nd; standings winner Jon Rahm was already exempt via other paths).
Fleetwood won the 2025 Tour Championship at East Lake — his first-ever PGA Tour victory in his 164th start, ending a 6-runner-up streak. He was World #3 at year-end 2025, played the 2025 Ryder Cup, and arrives at Birkdale (his home country) as one of the most-talked-about contenders. England has not had a homegrown Open champion since Sir Nick Faldo at Muirfield in 1992 — a 34-year drought.
