The R&A will send 12 players out at Royal Birkdale on Monday morning for a brand-new Last-Chance Qualifier, with the winner claiming the final spot in the 154th Open Championship field.
According to the R&A and PGA Tour, the inaugural event tees off at 7:30am BST, with four groups of three playing 18 holes of stroke play over the Open venue itself before Thursday’s opening round. Any tie will be settled by a hole-by-hole play-off. R&A chief executive Mark Darbon has framed the format as part of a wider push to sharpen the build-up to golf’s oldest major.
Wesley Bryan Headlines Qualifying Field After Play-Off Heartbreak
Former PGA Tour winner and YouTube star Wesley Bryan is the highest-profile name in the 12-man field, according to Sky Sports and Golf Monthly. Bryan missed out on direct qualification by a single stroke at West Lancashire, lipping out a short par putt on the 18th before losing the resulting play-off. He is joined by Aldrich Potgieter, Matti Schmid, Adri Arnaus, Angel Hidalgo and two amateurs among the 12 chasing the final berth.
Per Golf Digest, the field was built from criteria including the two highest-ranked players outside the Official World Golf Ranking cut-off published on July 6, the British Amateur runner-up, and players eliminated in play-offs during final qualifying. Potgieter and Schmid, the top two names on that list, keep their places atop Royal Birkdale’s alternate list even if they miss out — insurance should anyone in the 156-man field withdraw, much as Scottie Scheffler’s shock missed cut at last week’s Scottish Open showed how fast form can turn before a major.
The winner collects a tee time in Thursday’s opening round, joining a field that already features fresh major-week form lines such as Tom Kim’s breakthrough victory at the Genesis Scottish Open, as attention turns fully to Royal Birkdale.
