New York, Aug 27 (AP) The Masters is making a notable adjustment to its qualification criteria by discontinuing automatic invitations to PGA Tour winners from the fall events. Concurrently, it will now recognize victors from six prestigious national open tournaments worldwide, alongside the R&A.
On Tuesday, Augusta National and the R&A revealed their plans to synchronize certain qualification standards, offering a pathway to participate in the Masters and British Open for winners or top finishers in the South African Open, Australian Open, Japan Open, Spanish Open, Hong Kong Open, and Scottish Open. These championships hold significant historical value, with the South African and Australian Opens being among the five oldest in golf.
The concept builds on the R&A's “Open Qualifying Series,” established in 2013 to entice golfers from all golfing continents. Notably, while the British Open often grants access to multiple top finishers, the Masters extends invitations solely to the winners.
Fred Ridley, Chairman of the Masters Tournament, emphasized the importance of having global representation among its invitees. He asserted, “We, along with The R&A, share a commitment to the global game. Today's announcement enhances our collective vision of honoring global talent rising to the top of historic national open championships.”
With a traditionally smaller field among the four majors, the Masters strives to keep player numbers under 100 to maximize the participant experience. Incorporating up to six players from national opens necessitated forgoing invitations to winners of less prominent PGA Tour fall events.
Last year, all eight fall event winners were ineligible otherwise, with half ranking outside the world’s top 100. The previous year saw three fall winners outside the top 150. These tournaments occur post-FedEx Cup season, mainly featuring players vying to retain their tour cards.
In April, Ridley mentioned the club's annual revision of qualification standards, noting that international events would feature in assessments. Prior changes were minor, such as including the NCAA champion. Still, this adjustment marks the most significant since its removal of PGA Tour top 30 money list qualifiers and reducing top Masters finishers from 16 to 12 in 2013.
Most identified national opens occur from October to February, with July's Scottish Open being an exception, sanctioned by both the PGA Tour and European Tour.
The R&A will announce in September its Open Qualifying Series for the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale. The six national opens will be integral to these details. The previous year's Open saw 24 players earn spots through the Series' 11 competitions, though it did not incorporate the Hong Kong Open, Spanish Open, or Japan Open due to alternate exemption categories for the latter.
Championing these recognitions, Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, R&A's championships director, remarked, “We’re thrilled by the Masters' support for national opens. It emphasizes the message globally about these championship pathways and highlights these tours.” The designated national opens are affiliated with the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour, PGA Tour of Australia, and European Tour.
An unintended effect is the potential entry channel for Saudi-backed LIV Golf players. While the Masters hasn't created a specific exemption for LIV players this year, it occasionally issues special invitations when deemed appropriate. Joaquin Niemann, invited twice by Masters, secured a spot in 2024 due to his Australian Open triumph.
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