The R&A has updated its exemption criteria for the 149th Open Championship.
The 106 players who had qualified for the 2020 edition at Royal St. George’s before the championship was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic will again be exempt into the 2021 championship, which is scheduled to be played July 15-18 at Royal St. George’s. But the R&A will use updated exemption categories to fill the remaining 50 spots.
New additions to these categories include:
- Top 50 in Official World Golf Ranking, not already exempt, as of May 23
- Top five players and ties among the top 20, not already exempt, in the FedExCup standings after the 2021 Travelers Championship
- A minimum of eight spots will be up for grabs via regional and final qualifying, which will take place next June
As a result of the changes, no further 2021 exemptions will be offered through the Open Qualifying Series, which typically awards spots via finishes in various professional tour events.