Masters, Open Championship continue to lean into national Opens, offering winners exemptions for 2027

The embrace of success at national opens as criteria for offering spots into two of the four men’s majors will continue in 2027. On Monday, Augusta National Golf Club and the R&A announced a continuation of the alignment they formed in 2025 by they would give out invitations to winners/top finishers in selection opens in the 2027 Masters and Open Championship.

As was the case for the 2026 Masters, next year’s edition will offer invitations to the winners of the following national Opens:

Scottish Open (Tom Kim)
Spanish Open (Oct. 8-11)
Japan Open (Oct. 15-18)
Hong Kong Open (Oct. 22-25)
Australian Open (Dec. 3-6)
South African Open (March 4-7)

“The Masters Tournament has a longstanding history of assembling an international field, so we embrace this opportunity to highlight the global nature of the game of golf,” said Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters, in a press release. “Today’s announcement reinforces our shared commitment with The R&A to offer pathways for players from around the world to earn their place in the Masters and The Open.”

These events also will once again be part of the Open Qualifying Series, where winners as well as top performers in the tournaments will be given exemptions into the 155th Open Championship next July at St. Andrews.

“National opens have a proud history in the sport and their inclusion in The Open Qualifying Series builds upon the Championship’s tradition of being open to the best players from around the world,” said Mark Darbon, R&A Chief Executive, in a press release. “Working alongside Augusta National Golf Club allows us to continue our shared commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for players worldwide to achieve their goal of competing in The Open and the Masters.”

The Masters released the rest of its 2027 invitation criteria, which is identical to what was used for 2026. Winners of PGA Tour events that award a full point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship will again receive invitations to play next April. How things might change for the 2028 Masters, however, is unclear, with the PGA Tour adopting a two-tier structure (Championship and Challenger Series) of competition for the 2028 season.

Below is the complete 2027 Masters eligibility criteria:

For the 2027 Masters Tournament, qualifications 19-24 are in effect, which align with a portion of The R&A’s Open Qualifying Series and provide a Masters invitation to winners of select national open championships across several international tours.

1. Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
2. U.S. Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
3. The Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
4. PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
5. Winners of the Players Championship (Three years)
6. Current Olympic Gold Medalist (One Year)
7. Current U.S. Amateur Champion (7-A) (Honorary, non-competing after one year) and the Runner-up (7-B) to the current U.S. Amateur Champion
8. Current The Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after one year)
9. Current Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion (One year)
10. Current Latin America Amateur Champion (One year)
11. Current U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion (One year)
12. Current NCAA Division I Men's Individual Champion (One year)
13. The first 12 players, including ties, in the previous year's Masters Tournament
14. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year's U.S. Open
15. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year's The Open Championship
16. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year's PGA Championship
17. Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation applied to the season-ending Tour Championship
18. Those qualifying and eligible for the previous year's season-ending Tour Championship
19. Current Scottish Open Champion (One year)
20. Current Spanish Open Champion (One year)
21. Current Japan Open Champion (One year)
22. Current Hong Kong Open Champion (One year)
23. Current Australian Open Champion (One year)
24. Current South African Open Champion (One year)
25. The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year
26. The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters Tournament

The Masters Committee, at its discretion, also invites international players not otherwise qualified.