The Open Championship - Exemptions and Qualifying Events

Exemptions and Qualifying Events

The field for the Open is 156, and golfers may gain a place in a number of ways. Most of the field is made up of leading players who are given exemptions. Further places are given to players who are successful in "Local Qualifying" and those who come through "International Final Qualifying". Any remaining places (known as alternates) are made available to the highest ranked players in the Official World Golf Ranking.

There are currently 32 exemption categories. Among the more significant are:

• The top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking. This category means that no member of the current elite of world golf will be excluded.
• The top 30 in the previous season's European Tour Race to Dubai and the PGA Tour FedEx Cup. Most of these players will also be in the World top 50.
• All previous Open Champions who will be age 60 or under on the final day of the tournament. Each year a number of past champions choose not to compete.
• All players who have won one of the other three majors in the previous five years.
• The top 10 from the previous year's Open Championship.
• Any past Open champions who have finished in the top 10 in the previous five years.

Further exemptions are given to winners and other leading finishers in a number of important tournaments around the world, to leading money winners in the major tours and to recent Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup players. The latest winners of a few major amateur events are also given exemptions. They must remain amateurs to take advantage of this exemption.

Local Qualifying is the traditional way for non-exempt players to win a place at The Open. In 2012 it comprised fourteen 18-hole "Regional Qualifying" competitions around Britain and Ireland on 25 June with successful competitors moving on to the four 36-hole "Local Final Qualifying" tournaments on 3 July. There are currently 12 places available through Local Qualifying, though there used to be far more.

International Final Qualifying comprises five 36-hole qualifying events, one each in Africa, Australasia, Asia, America and Europe. Only players who have a rating in the Official World Golf Ranking may enter, which is a more stringent standard than for Local Qualifying. 28 places were available through International Final Qualifying in 2012. The R&A introduced International Final Qualifying in 2004 in order to make it easier for professionals from outside Britain and Ireland to compete for a place.

In 2012, 115 of the field qualified through the exemption categories, 12 through Local Qualifying, 28 through International Final Qualifying and 1 as an alternate. A further 14 players qualified through the exemption categories but did not compete in the event. This was because the players chose not to enter, dropped out for personal reason, were injured or who had qualified as amateurs but had turned professional.