One day, zero PGA TOUR events, three winners, all of whom PGA TOUR members. Oh, and there also was an exemption into the Masters for a tournament contested in the fall. Make it make sense!

Indeed, it’s all true. The stars aligned across 16 time zones. What’s even wonkier is that only one of those tournaments influenced this page. For now.

There are no afterthoughts here but neither 2026 PGA TOUR Rookie Kristoffer Reitan nor Hideki Matsuyama picked up exemptions to their slate of 2026 majors and other premier competitions. Not that their victories at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and Hero World Challenge, respectively, won’t pay forward in some capacity. It’s that the dividends aren’t immediate, well, aside from Official World Golf Ranking points that for which some patience is required to collect a reward.

Reitan was among the eligible DP World Tour members who finished inside the bubble to qualify for PGA TOUR membership in 2026. The 27-year-old from Norway won the Soudal Open in May and finished eighth in the Race to Dubai. In what was the second week of the 2025-26 DP World Tour season, he went wire-to-wire at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa, to prevail by one stroke on Sunday. It lifts him to 33rd in the latest OWGR. Although not yet officially in the Masters, Reitan is safe to retain position inside the top 50 at the conclusion of this year when all inside that range qualify for the first major of 2026.

Matsuyama is exempt into all relevant tournaments except for the PGA Championship. Sunday’s playoff win over Alex Noren at Albany in The Bahamas moved him to 17th in the OWGR, so even if he doesn’t play between now and the checkpoint when the PGA of America traditionally invite all golfers inside the top 100 of the OWGR, he’s likely to be a recipient of a special invitation into that major.

This leaves the Crown Australian Open, which was the first of the three tournaments to start and finish last week. The national championship was held at Royal Melbourne, where Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen took the title. It’s his breakthrough victory on the DP World Tour. He also will be a PGA TOUR rookie in 2026 via the DP World Tour conduit.

Like it did for other national opens this fall, Augusta National Golf Club reserved an exemption into the Masters for the winner of the Australian Open, so the 26-year-old Dane will be making his debut in the major. Because of the tournament’s location south of the equator, Neergaard-Petersen pockets the exemption during what is Australia’s spring.

The Australian Open also was a stop on the Open Qualifying Series for which the top three who made the cut and who are not already exempt into The Open Championship would punch tickets into the field of 156 at Royal Birkdale next July. Those tee times were snared by Si Woo Kim (third), Michael Hollick (fourth) and Adam Scott (fifth). The careers of Kim and Scott are well-known but Hollick is a 38-year-old DP World Tour rookie who cut his teeth at home on the Sunshine Tour. He’s never appeared in a PGA TOUR event.

Prior to the start of all tournaments last week, the R&A released its eligibility criteria for the first-ever Last-Chance Qualifier scheduled to be held on Royal Birkdale on the Monday of the week of The Open Championship. The planned field is limited to 12 golfers consisting, in order, of the top-two available from the OWGR, the runner-up of the British Amateur, playoff victims at Final Qualifying, those who finished just outside the bubble of qualifiers at Final Qualifying and golfers eliminated in tiebreakers during the OQS (excluding the Genesis Scottish Open) due to their OWGR. There are other options either to fill the field, if necessary, or to override the existing criteria.

SE = All Signature Events
TPC = THE PLAYERS Championship
MAS = Masters
PGA = PGA Championship
US = U.S. Open
OPEN = The Open Championship

Recent additions

SE -- none
TPC -- none
MAS -- Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
PGA -- none
US -- none
OPEN -- Michael Hollick; Si Woo Kim; Adam Scott

NOTE: Golfers are omitted if they haven’t competed recently in majors for which they are eligible (e.g., The Open Championship = David Duval, Paul Lawrie).

REMAINING QUALIFYING CRITERIA

Criteria are listed in chronological order where possible. Best estimates are given but all are subject to change.

Signature Events

• AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Feb. 12-15)
• The Genesis Invitational (Feb. 19-22)
• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (March 5-8)
• RBC Heritage (April 16-19)
• Miami Championship (April 30-May 3)
• Truist Championship (May 7-10)
• Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (June 4-7)
• Travelers Championship (June 25-28)

THE PLAYERS Championship (TPC) at TPC Sawgrass (Stadium) – March 12-15

• Winners of PGA TOUR events through the final week before THE PLAYERS.
• Top 10 in the FedExCup at the conclusion of the Cognizant Classic (March 1).
• Top 50 of Official World Golf Ranking (March 2).
• If necessary to complete the field of 120, golfers outside the Top 10 in the FedExCup at the conclusion of the Cognizant on March 1 will gain entry in order of position.

Masters (MAS) at Augusta National Golf Club – April 9-12

• Winners of PGA TOUR events that award full FedExCup points allocation for the TOUR Championship.
• Top 50 of Official World Golf Ranking (Dec. 31).
• Winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (Jan. 18).
• Winner of the South African Open (March 1).
• Top 50 of Official World Golf Ranking (March 30).
• Special invitations to international players per Masters Tournament Committee as its discretion.

PGA Championship (PGA) at Aronimink Golf Club – May 14-17

• Winners of PGA TOUR events through the final week before the 2026 PGA Championship.
• Top 3 from International Federation Ranking List (TBD).
• Top 3 from Asian Swing ranking on the DP World Tour (TBD).
• Top 20 from PGA Professional Championship (April 29).
• Top 70 from special money list (i.e., "PGA Championship Points") on PGA TOUR from 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge through the Miami Championship (May 3).
• *All 2025 Ryder Cup members inside Top 100 of Official World Golf Ranking (May 4).
• Special exemptions per PGA of America. (This likely will include all golfers from Top 100 of Official World Golf Ranking on May 4.)
• If necessary to complete the field of 156, golfers outside Top 70 from special money list (three lines above) will gain entry in order of position.

U.S. Open (US) at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club – June 18-21

• Winners of multiple PGA TOUR events that award full FedExCup points allocation since the 2025 U.S. Open.
• Winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (Jan. 18).
• Winner of THE PLAYERS Championship (March 15).
• Winner of the Masters (April 12).
• Winner of the PGA Championship (May 17).
• Top 5, not otherwise exempt, in the FedExCup at the conclusion of a PGA TOUR event TBD in 2026 (TBD).
• Top 2, not otherwise exempt, in the 2025 Race to Dubai at the conclusion of an event TBD in 2026 (TBD).
• Top player, not otherwise exempt, in the 2026 Race to Dubai (TBD).
• Leader, not otherwise exempt, in the Top 3 of the LIV Golf Individual Standings (May 18).
• Top 60 of Official World Golf Ranking (1 of 2) (TBD).
• Final qualifying (TBD).
• Winner of the NCAA Division 1 individual championship, if still an amateur (June 1).
• Top 60 of Official World Golf Ranking (2 of 2) (TBD).
• Special exemptions per the USGA.

The Open Championship (OPEN) at Royal Birkdale Golf Club -- July 16-19

• Winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (Jan. 18).
• Winner of the African Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (Feb. 7).
• Top player, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the New Zealand Open (March 1).
• Top 3, not otherwise exempt, who make the cut at the South African Open Championship (March 1).
• Top player, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the Argentina Open (March 1).
• Top player, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (March 8).
• Winner of THE PLAYERS Championship (March 15).
• Top 2, not otherwise exempt, who make the cut at an Asian Tour event (TBD).
• Winner of the Masters (April 12).
• Winner of the PGA Championship (May 17).
• Top player, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the KOLON Korea Open (TBD).
• Top 50 of Official World Golf Ranking (May 25).
• Top 5 in the Federation Ranking (May 25).
• Top 3, not otherwise exempt, who make the cut at the Mizuno Open (May 31).
• Top player, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (June 7).
• Top 3, not otherwise exempt, who make the cut at the RBC Canadian Open (June 14).
• Winner of the British Amateur, if still an amateur (June 20).
• Winner of the U.S. Open (June 21).
• Top player, not otherwise exempt, who make the cut at the Italian Open (June 28).
• Top 5, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 20 in the FedExCup at the conclusion of the Travelers Championship (June 28).
• Leader, not otherwise exempt, in the LIV Golf Individual Standings at the conclusion of LIV Golf Louisiana (June 28).
• Winner of the European Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (June 27).
• Leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking points accumulated at the St. Andrews Links Trophy (June 7), British Amateur (June 20) and European Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (June 27).
• Final Qualifying. Top 4 at each of four sites (TBD).
• Top 5, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 20 in the Race to Dubai at the conclusion of the BMW International Open (July 5).
• Top 3, not otherwise exempt, who make the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open (July 12).
• Winner of the Last-Chance Qualifier (July 13).