The Open Final Qualifying: Eight big names looking to book their tickets to Royal Birkdale
Several high-profile golfers are yet to book their tee time at the final men's major of the year next month.
The 2026 Open Championship is now a matter of weeks away.
This year, golf's oldest major heads to Royal Birkdale for the first time since 2017.
Back then, America's Jordan Spieth walked away with the Claret Jug after one of the most chaotic and dramatic final rounds in the history of The Open.
Spieth, of course, will be among the 156-man field in a few weeks' time but he is not the favourite to land the final men's major of the year.
World number one and reigning Open champion, Scottie Scheffler, is the pre-tournament favourite.
Scheffler, who turned 30 this month, dominated last year's Open at Royal Portrush to secure his first Claret Jug and add the third leg of the career grand slam.
The American, who came up short in his bid to join the history books at the 2026 U.S. Open, will likely face strong challenges from several high-profile golfers.
Chief of which is Masters champ, Rory McIlroy, who will be looking to win his first Open title since 2014.
England's challenge will be led by home favourite Tommy Fleetwood and his Ryder Cup teammates Matthew Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose and Tyrrell Hatton.
Former Open champion Shane Lowry hasn't had the best season so far but will believe he can challenge. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre could also be in the mix.
And we cannot discount the likes of Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young, Ludvig Aberg and U.S. Open champ Wyndham Clark.
Several big names have yet to book their tee time for the 2026 Open.
Final Qualifying for The Open will take place on Tuesday, 30 June.
The 36-hole shootout will be played across West Lancashire, Dundonald Links, Royal Cinque Ports and Burnham and Berrow.
A total of five players from each venue will be added to the field.
GolfMagic has decided to take a look at eight big names who will be looking to grab a golden ticket.
Dustin Johnson
The big American has played in the last 16 Open championships.
Former world number one Johnson, now 42, will be teeing it up at Dundonald Links in order to keep his streak alive.
Sergio Garcia
The Spanish former Masters champion and European Ryder Cup hero used to be a regular fixture in the majors until his switch to LIV Golf.
Garcia played in last year's Open at Royal Portrush but missed out in 2023 and 2024 after coming up short in Final Qualifying.
The 46-year-old is playing at West Lancashire.
Danny Willett
Garcia will be joined by a familiar face in fellow green jacket winner Danny Willett.
Willett has been struggling on and off with injuries for several years.
Matt Wallace
England's Matt Wallace has only played in one major this year, the PGA Championship, and tied for 44th.
Wallace is also playing alongside Willett and Garcia at West Lancashire.
Josele Ballester
Jon Rahm's LIV Golf teammate, Josele Ballester, is expected to have a big future in the game.
You may remember he hit the headlines for the wrong reasons at the 2025 Masters after he urinated into Rae's Creek.
Ballester has since claimed his first professional victory and is just outside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
He is playing at West Lancashire. As are YouTube stars George and Wesley Bryan.
Sahith Theegala
Theegala, who is ranked 73rd in the OWGR, has not qualified for The Open yet.
He has played in the last five Opens and will be hoping to tee it up in his sixth in a few weeks' time.
The American is taking on Final Qualifying at Burnham and Berrow.
Luke Poulter
The son of European Ryder Cup legend, Ian Poulter, is teeing up at Royal Cinque Ports.
Poulter narrowly missed out on qualification last year.
Ian Poulter said he would caddie for his son at The Open if he makes it through.
Caleb Surratt
Another of Rahm's LIV Golf teammates, Surratt is also touted to have a big future in the game.
He played his first U.S. Open in 2026 after surviving golf's longest day in Dallas.
Is a first Open start on the horizon?
Take a look at the full fields below...
Scroll down...
Name | Club |
Ben Amor | Ogbourne Downs |
Paul Hendriksen | Ivybridge |
Reggie Fear (a) | Wentworth Club |
Alejandro de Castro Piera (a) | Barcelona |
Ben Evans | Remedy Oak |
Toby Hunt | Whitchurch |
Charlie Lindh | Araslöv Golf |
Edward Featherstone (a) | Sheringham |
Oliver Schniederjans | Golf Club of Georgia |
Frazer Jones (a) | Kirby Muxloe |
Julian Perico | Floridian |
Owen Edwards | Club de Hockey en Golf Specialist |
Adam Curtis | Bude |
Austen Truslow | Pasadena Yacht and Country Club |
Jack Kelly | Pinner Hill |
Caleb Surratt | Longview |
Oliver Farr | Burghill Valley |
Tom Sloman | T&P/B&B |
David Langley | Castle Royle |
Yannik Paul | Unattached |
Zak Morgan | Rochester & Cobham Park |
Jannik de Bruyn | Hoesel |
Justin Chenu (a) | Rochester & Cobham Park |
Michael Bullen | Rampion Golf |
Harley Smith (a) | The Rayleigh Club |
Jake Hapgood | Southerndown |
OJ Farrell | Worcester |
James Biggs | Diss Driving Range |
Josh Rudkin (a) | Cosby |
Tony Adams (a) | Princes |
James Thompson | Walsall |
Marcus Helligkilde | Unattached |
Max Weaver (a) | Bury St Edmunds |
Daniel Bennett (a) | Silver Lakes Golf and Wildlife Estate |
Jacob Skov Olesen | Naestved |
Sahith Theegala | Unattached |
Arron Edwards-Hill | Woodbridge |
Benjamin Follett-Smith | Royal Harare |
Charlie Preston (a) | Hartley Wintney |
James Whatley | East Midlands Golf Academy |
Justin Harding | Stellenbosch |
Richard Mansell | Unattached |
Markus Braadlie | Moor Park |
Simon Forsström | AIK Golf |
Tommy Oberg (a) | Gerrards Cross |
Ellis Bright (a) | Cumberwell Park |
Jack Cope | Unattached |
James Nicholas | Old Palm |
Joseph Buenfeld (a) | Stoneham |
Taylor Paul | Harleyford |
Todd Adcock | Tonbridge Golf Centre |
Anirban Lahiri | The Els Club |
Chris Wood | Unattached |
Marc Leishman | Unattached |
Ashley Mansell | Clevedon |
Dominic Foos | The Els Club Dubai |
Henry Daly (a) | Wentworth |
Christiaan Bezuidenhout | Serengeti Wildlife and Golf Estate |
Eliot Baker (a) | Tiverton |
Masahiro Kawamura | JCR Pharmaceuticals |
Andrew Willey | Oakmere Park |
Gordan Brixi | Reflection Bay |
Lucas Martin (a) | Rotherham |
Agustin Segundo Oliva Pinto (a) | Córdoba |
Brandon Robinson Thompson | Unattached |
Kieran Vincent | Royal Harare |
Andres Gallegos | Aeroclub Fortin de Lobosww |
Max Kennedy | The Royal Dublin |
Oliver Martin (a) | Sand Martins |
Darren Strachan (a) | Golf de Chantilly |
Jacob Hassan | Royal Blackheath |
Joshua Davies (a) | Bramley |
Name | Club |
Bryan Hughes (a) | Hesketh |
Connor McKinney | Joondalup |
Craig Howie | Peebles |
Mike Toorop | The International |
Nick Carlson | Mosfellsbaer |
Will Swarbrick (a) | Moortown |
Andre Chi | Deepdale |
Lauri Ruuska | Tarina Golf |
Nikolas Tyminski | The Renaissance Club |
Chris Somers (a) | Murcar Links |
George Mason | Wath |
Jordan Sundborg | Royal Burgess Golfing Society |
Andrew Wilson | Darlington |
Cameron Davis | Sahalee CC |
Matthew Baldwin | Royal Birkdale |
Mark Young | Longridge |
Paul O’Hara | Hamilton |
Robert Rock | Little Aston |
Calum Fyfe | Trinifold Sports |
Haraldur Magnus | Reykjavik |
John M. Vogelpohl | Gleneagles |
Charles Porter | Lake Merced |
Jesper Sandborg | Landeryds |
Jonathan Hobson (a) | Clandon Regis |
Ashley Williams (a) | Bolton Old Links |
Jack Senior | Fleetwood |
Simon Lucas | Longridge |
Jack Broun | Trump Turnberry |
Jordan Boles (a) | Carton House |
Oliver Lindell | Virvik Golf |
Angel Hidalgo | Unattached |
Connor Graham (a) | Blairgowrie |
Dustin Johnson | Grove XXIII |
Dominic Bradburn | Panmure |
Grant Forrest | Renaissance Club |
Niall Shiels Donegan (a) | Meadow Club |
Hamish Brown | Aalborg |
Matt Killen | Springfield Royal Country Club |
Oliver Cage (a) | Moortown |
Aidan O’Hagan | Old Ranfurly |
Marcus Mohr | Eaton |
Matthew Tottey | North Wales |
Callum Tarren | Rockliffe Hall |
Daniel Young | Kingsbarns Golf Links |
Frederik Kjettrup | Unattached |
Graeme Robertson | Glenbervie |
Martin Eriksson | Kårsta |
Ryan Lenahan | Walnut Creek Country Club |
Christopher Edge | Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society |
Robbie Morrison | Old Ranfurly |
Ruaidhri McGee | Unattached |
Craig Lee | Craig Lee Golf Studio |
James Steven (a) | Kirkhill |
Marcus Brigham | Malton & Norton |
Cameron Adam | Royal Burgess |
Matthis Besard | Waregem |
Sam Locke | Paul Lawrie Golf Centre |
Jackson Bell | Tommy Fleetwood Academy Dubai |
Patrick Pockels | Meadowlark |
Robin Williams | Peterborough Milton |
Adrian Soriano | San Diego Country Club |
Cian Geraghty | Dundalk |
Erik Johansson (a) | Ljunghusen |
David Howard (a) | Fota Island |
Jack McDonald | Whitecraigs |
Ryder Cowan (a) | Oak Tree National |
Angus Flanagan | St George’s Hill |
Marcus Plunkett | PYCC |
Name | Club |
Haiden Matos (a) | Dartford |
Ryan Harmer | Manning’s Heath |
Zane Scotland | The Addington |
Lars Van Meijel | RUFF Indoor Golf |
Maxwell Moldovan | Ohio Prestwick Country Club |
MJ Maguire | Pasadena Y&CC |
Baard Bjoernevik Skogen | Haugaland |
Joshua Bristow | Queenwood |
Tom Sherreard | Growing Golf |
Daniel Rodrigues | Miramar |
Gregorio De Leo | Callaway |
Matthew Ford | Golf Gear Direct |
Andreas Halvorsen | Larvik |
Max Moseley (a) | Knole Park |
Michael Chambers | Northamptonshire County |
Matthew Southgate | Thorpe Hall |
Oliver Daws (a) | Royal St George’s |
Tom Lewis | Unattached |
John Gough | Killeen Castle |
Peter Uihlein | Medalist |
Robbie Flower (a) | Royal Winchester |
Ben Hall | Rushcliffe |
John Catlin | Singha Corporation |
Robert Dinwiddie | The Richmond |
Egor Zotov | Foxhills |
James Heard | Tee Box London |
Luke Jenkins (a) | Rochester & Cobham Park |
Christoph Bleier | Linz-St Florian |
Palmer Jackson | Hannastown |
Sam Epstein (a) | Maylands |
Jordan Godwin | Rochester & Cobham Park |
Luis Masaveu | Unattached |
Thriston Lawrence | Pretoria CC |
Dean Burmester | Southern Guards |
Luke Poulter (a) | Woburn |
Thomas Detry | Queenwood |
David Ravetto | RCF La Boulie |
Laurie Owen (a) | Letchworth |
Ryan Brooks | Whittington Heath |
Charlie Salter | Northamptonshire County |
Robert Holden | Letchworth |
Ryan Lumsden | The Renaissance Club |
Alfie Plant | Sundridge Park |
Antoine Rozner | RCF La Boulie |
Steve Lewton | Woburn |
Branden Grace | Southern Guards |
David Puig | Unattached |
Sergio Jiménez Romero (a) | Retamares |
Charlie Dubiel | Golf Club of Georgia |
Connor O’Brien (a) | Brocket Hall |
Dylan Newman | Meadow Brook Club |
Austin Bautista | Jordan Carl Country Club |
MJ Daffue | Deerwood |
Sam Rook | Lindrick |
Callum Davison | Cowichan |
Jamie Rutherford | Knebworth |
Rocco Paolo Repetto Taylor | Real Club de Golf Guadalhorce |
Aaron Moody (a) | Burhill |
Barclay Brown | Hallamshire |
Nathan Kimsey | Stoneham |
Callum Shinkwin | Moor Park |
Haydn McCullen | Hillside |
Louis Klein (a) | Albatross Golf Resort |
Ryan Boyns | Weald of Kent |
Victor Veyret | Golf de Chantilly |
Zach Murray | Wodonga |
Harry Casey | The Shire London |
Luis Carrera | Hacienda |
Patrick Foley (a) | Golf Club de Lausanne |
Curtis Knipes | Hanbury Manor |
Jonah Fernandes (a) | Real Club de Golf Guadalmina |
Luke Goddard | Hendon |
Name | Club |
Anton Albers | Hamburger Falkenstein |
Giles Evans | Thetford |
Luke Woods | Aloha |
Emil Riegger (a) | Unattached |
Richard Law | Normanton |
William Enefer | Trinifold Sports |
Daniel Wilson | Grange Park |
Davis Shore | Soleta |
Jonathan Wijono | Sentul Highlands |
Dan Erickson | Conroe CC |
Filip Mruzek | Greensgate |
Tyko Tuohimaa | Pickala |
Adri Arnaus | Golf Moia |
Jason Renton (a) | West Lancashire |
Kazuma Kobori | Rangiora |
Ben Schmidt | Rotherham |
George Bryan | Solina |
Richard Teder (a) | Estonian Golf & Country Club |
Alex Maguire | Laytown & Bettystown |
Saptak Talwar | Unattached |
Veer Ahlawat | DLF Golf and Country Club India |
Ben Hutchinson | Howley Hall |
Joseph Pagdin | Lake Nona |
Liam Abom (a) | Edmondstown |
Guus Lafeber (a) | The International |
Tiger Christensen | HGC Falkenstein |
Timothy Shin | Castle Royle |
Ben Jenks | Burton On Trent |
Pablo Ereno | RSHECC |
Sam Easterbrook (a) | Olton |
Marcus Armitage | Howley Hall |
Sergio Garcia | Mediterranea Golf |
Shubhankar Sharma | Chandigarh |
Harrison Crowe | St Michaels |
Matthew Jordan | Royal Liverpool |
Wesley Bryan | Solina |
Charles Huntzinger | Unattached |
Neil Williams (a) | St Annes Old Links |
Samuel Potter | Kedleston Park |
Abel Eduard (a) | Kingston Heath |
Jacob McGoldrick | Enville |
Keir Stockdale | Lindrick |
Joseph Dodd-Berry (a) | Royal Liverpool |
Nicholas Raybould | Hull |
Will Whiteoak | Bingley St Ives |
Henry Styles (a) | Romford |
Joshua Ashton | Kedleston Park |
Tom Parker-Thompson | Royal Liverpool |
Jake Bolton | Royal Johannesburg |
Seb Cave (a) | Coxmoor |
Timothy Ford | Liverpool Golf Centre |
Josh McAspurn (a) | Crosland Heath |
Matias Sanchez | Royal Melbourne |
Thomas Warnock | Norwood Park |
Arni Sveinsson (a) | GKG |
Danny Willett | The Belfry |
Matt Wallace | Wentworth Club |
Adam Bresnu (a) | Royal Golf Dar Essalam |
José Luis Ballester Barrio | Mediterraneo Golf |
Samuel Bairstow | Hallowes |
George Bloor | Cavendish |
Joe Dean | College Pines |
Joshua Berry | Doncaster |
Bryce Easton | Hillside |
Jayden Phipps (a) | The South Staffordshire |
Nicklaus Chiam | Sentosa |
Callum Farr | Northamptonshire County |
Charlie Ford | Royal Birkdale |
Declan O’Donovan | Avondale |
Andrew Haswell (a) | Ormskirk |
Gareth Davies | Abbeydale |
Nicolas Calvet | Biarritz |
In This Article
Ben Smith joined the GolfMagic team in September 2021, initially as a content executive.
These days, he assumes the position of content manager.
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