The 152nd Open: What you need to know about Final Qualifying

Thursday, June 27, 2024

Final Qualifying for The 152nd Open at Royal Troon will take place on Tuesday July 2. Here is everything you need to know as players look to book their spots at the final Major Championship of 2024.

The 152nd Open Championship â€“ Media Day

Where is Final Qualifying taking place?

Final Qualifying is taking place at Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald Links, Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancashire.

How does Final Qualifying work?

Four highly regarded links venues will each welcome fields of 72, with players competing over 36 holes as they chase a coveted spot at The Open, golf’s oldest Major.

There will be a minimum of four qualifying places available at each venue.

Any ties for the last qualifying place in each event will be decided by a sudden-death play-off. Some Reserve spots will also be decided at these events.

A number of amateur and professional players are exempt directly into Final Qualifying based on their past playing achievements.

The rest of the field will be made up of players who have come through Regional Qualifying.

When did Regional Qualifying take place?

Regional Qualifying took place over 18 holes as almost 2,000 hopefuls contested at 15 venues across Great Britain and Ireland on June 24.

Robert Rock, a two-time DP World Tour winner, was among 100 players to edge one step closer to teeing it up at Royal Troon.

The Englishman set up the prospect of two Major appearances in as many months, having also qualified for the U.S. Open, by progressing at Kedleston Park.

Jonathan ‘Jigger’ Thomson, who memorably sank a hole-in-one at The 149th Open in 2021, was another to come through at the Derbyshire venue.

His fellow Challenge Tour members OJ Farrell and Josh Hilleard also neared a dream start at The Open as they were among the qualifiers at Minchinhampton.

Sweden’s amateur Adam Wallin, who made his DP World Tour debut at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed earlier this month, equalled the course record (63) at Moor Park to book his place at Final Qualifying.

Who is playing at Final Qualifying and where?

Burnham & Berrow

Former World Number One, Olympic gold medallist and 2018 Open runner-up Justin Rose tees up in Somerset and will begin his first round at 9:30am alongside former Open low amateur and three-time DP World Tour winner Chris Wood.

Laurie Canter, who won his long-awaited first DP World Tour title at the European Open earlier this month, is also in action in the South West of England from 7:20am and he plays alongside Brandon Robinson Thompson, who came through Final Qualifying at Royal Porthcawl in 2023 and also qualified for this month's U.S. Open.

Among others in action at the lone one-tee start Final Qualifying venue are DP World Tour winners Daniel Gavins and Justin Walters.

To view the full list of players and their tee times, click here.

Dundonald Links

There is no shortage of recognisable names in action at Ayrshire's golf coast, with Tom McKibbin targeting his second consecutive Major appearance as he tees it up in his first round at 7:30am.

Fellow DP World Tour winner and Scottish favourite Ewen Ferguson is alongside the experienced Rock at 7:50am, while Rafa Cabrera Bello and Stephen Gallacher are also off at the same time from the tenth tee.

Scottish pair Grant Forrest, who qualified for the U.S. Open this year, and Marc Warren also have hopes of competing in a Major on home soil this summer, while Tom Lewis will be hoping to earn a return to an event where he first made his name in 2011.

To view the full list of players and their tee times, click here.

Royal Cinque Ports

The field at the Deal links boats 2018 Ryder Cup winner Alex Noren, with the Swede in a group at 7:35am that also includes fellow DP World Tour winner Sean Crocker.

Teeing up at the tenth at the same time is Matthew Southgate, with the Englishman playing alongside Major champion Graeme McDowell.

Thomas Detry, up to a career-high 49th on the Official World Golf Ranking, is joined by three-time DP World Tour winner Antoine Rozner and South Africa's Branden Grace, who holds the record for the lowest round in an Open.

To view the full list of players and their tee times, click here.

West Lancashire

DP World Tour rookie Sam Bairstow will be looking to progress through Final Qualifying for the third time, having done so in 2021 and 2022, and he will aim to repeat the feat in the company of 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia and and Alex Maguire, who made his Open debut at Royal Liverpool Golf Club last year after winning the Open Amateur Series.

England's Marcus Armitage is in a group that includes Australia's 2015 Open runner-up Marc Leishman at 8:25, while Richard Mansell and 2010 Ryder Cup player Jeff Overton are among other players in action.

DP World Tour member Masahiro Kawamura of Japan brings further international flavour, while Jack Bigham and Tiger Christensen are two amateurs being touted for successful professional careers.

To view the full list of players and their tee times, click here.

How else can players qualify for The Open?

Final Qualifying is the third-last event in the Open Qualifying Series, which is held across 11 different countries and has already seen 21 players book their spots at Royal Troon.

Two places will then be available at the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour, followed by the conclusion of the series at the Genesis Scottish Open, when three places will be awarded to the leading three players, not already exempt, who make the cut at the event co-sanctioned with the PGA TOUR.

As was the case last week at the KLM Open, when Guido Migliozzi and Joe Dean secured berths, the Italian Open presented by Regione Emilia-Romagna will provide two places on a similar basis.

Where any golfer who earns a qualifying place through an Open Qualifying Series event before the closing date for entries then becomes exempt under one or more other categories, that qualifying place will be awarded to the next best placed non-exempt golfer at that qualifying event.