Golf’s oldest major, The Open Championship, just got a new twist, and it’s a tricky one. Royal Birkdale will host a tournament in July 2026, but before the first tee shot at the historic Lancashire links, twelve players will get another chance to make their major dream come true. Just recently, The Open has announced the criteria for their “Monday Qualifier” for the final spot into Birkdale.

The criteria is mentioned below:

• The leading 2 non-exempt players in the OWGR as of July 6.

• The runner-up of The Amateur Championship, provided they are still an amateur as of 13 July.

• Players who missed out in a playoff at Final Qualifying.

• Players who finished one position behind those who secured a place at Final Qualifying.

• Players who were tied for a qualifying place in various events included as part of The Open Qualifying Series (excluding Scotland) but did not qualify due to a lower position in the Official World Golf Ranking.

This creates a unique pressure situation. These players have already faced disappointment in qualifying once. Now, they must pull themselves together mentally and physically for one final round of eliminations. The winner will have a lot of energy when they reach Birkdale. The others will go home knowing they were just one round away from becoming golf legends.

(This is a developing story…)