The Masters and The Open to make major changes ahead of the 2026 edition

Throughout the years, the Masters and the Open Tournament have been two of the most prestigious majors for any golfer out there. Today, it was announced that the tournaments will follow a new exemption criterion from next year.

On Tuesday, via a press release, the R&A and Augusta National announced some updates in their qualification pathways. They announced that starting from 2026, winners of National Opens will be exempted from The Masters Tournament and The Open Championship.

According to the announcement, the update will be applicable only for winners of the following tournaments:

1. Scottish Open Championship
2. Spanish Open Championship
3. Japan Open Championship
4. Hong Kong Open Championship
5. Australian Open Championship
6. South African Open Championship

The news about the upcoming changes was also shared by NUCLR GOLF on X (previously Twitter):

Screenshot from NUCLR Golf's post on X / @NUCLRGOLF on X

Over the years, Augusta National and the R&A have witnessed a lot of National Open Champs lift up the Green Jacket and British Open titles. For the record, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy have won the Scottish Open, the Open Championship, and the Masters. Seve Ballesteros holds the rare feat of winning the green jacket, the British Open, and the Spanish Open Championship.

Although Jon Rahm didn't win the Open Championship, he is the only Spaniard to hold the Spanish Open title and the Masters title. Golfing greats Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus have won the Australian Open, the Green Jacket, and the Open, with the former holding the most victories in the Australian Open. Player also won the South African Open Championship for a record 13 times in his career.

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Fred Ridley spoke about changes in qualification for The Masters 2026

Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament recently spoke about the changes to be implemented in the qualification criteria from 2026. While facing the media, Ridley highlighted the emphasis put into ANGC and the R&A's commitment to golf. He said (as quoted by Golf Digest):

"We, along with the R&A, have a shared commitment to the global game... Today’s announcement strengthens our organizations’ collective vision of rewarding top talent around the world who rise to the top of historic national open championships."

Ridley also hoped for these pathways to be beneficial for aspiring talents from the National Open Champions.

"We hope this formal recognition shines a bright light on these players and the events they will represent at the Masters and the Open, beginning next year."

The latest announcement by ANGC and the R&A changes one key rule. For PGA Tour pros to receive invitations for Augusta and the Open, they will have to be winners of events that offer a full point allocation applied to the Tour Championship. Therefore, FedEx Cup Fall event winners will no longer receive an exemption for the Augusta National.