Similar to the U.S. Open, The Open Championship stages qualifying events worldwide. However, a significant difference between these two is that the R&A—the governing body that facilitates The Open—also designates a set of tournaments around the globe to be part of The Open Qualifying Series.
For instance, the R&A included the Australian Open in December as part of the series, so Joaquin Niemann earned an invite with his win there. The Arnold Palmer Invitational was another. In all, 12 tournaments comprised the series, which includes this week’s Memorial Tournament.
The leading player not already exempt—who makes this week’s 36-hole cut—will receive an invite to Royal Troon for The 152nd Open Championship.
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Only one spot is available at Muirfield Village.
Twenty-one players in this 73-man field have not clinched a spot in The Open, and they are listed below:
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout
- Cam Davis
- Thomas Detry
- Nick Dunlap
- Chris Gotterup
- Adam Hadwin
- Lee Hodges
- Tom Hoge
- Jake Knapp
- Matt Kuchar
- Peter Malnati
- Alex Noren
- Taylor Pendrith
- Seamus Power
- Andrew Putnam
- Davis Riley
- Patrick Rodgers
- Justin Rose
- Brandt Snedeker
- Adam Svensson
- Davis Thompson
If there is a tie, the invite will go to the player with the higher Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
Regardless, somebody on this list will earn a trip to Royal Troon, so keep an eye on these players—as they will be playing a ‘game within the game’ in Ohio.
Within this group, eight players have never played in The Open before: Dunlap, Gotterup, Knapp, Malnati, Pendrith, Rodgers, Svensson, and Thompson.
Not only does the Memorial Tournament offer an elevated purse, extra FedEx Cup points, and the opportunity to shake hands with Jack Nicklaus afterward, but it will also send one player to The Open, perhaps for the first time.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
