Qualifiers for all 2027 Signature Events, The Players and majors
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Ross Steelman holes out for birdie on No. 18 at Korn Ferry Tour Champ
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The conclusion of last week’s update referenced that exemptions into 2027 editions of tournaments included on this page were up for grabs over the weekend. The Baycurrent Classic wasn’t one of them but champion Michael Brennan snared one, anyway.
Brennan took the title at Yokohama Country Club in Japan by one stroke. He broke free from his three-way share of the 54-hole lead with a 3-under 68 on Sunday to post 16-under 268. Fellow co-leaders Jacob Bridgeman (69) and Zach Bauchou (72) finished T2 and T9, respectively.
The Baycurrent is Brennan’s second win in five starts (Wyndham Championship). Because he connected on both since the 2026 U.S. Open and because he wasn’t yet exempt into the 2027 edition of the major, he is now because both the Wyndham and the Baycurrent distributed the full allocation of FedExCup points (e.g., 500 to the winner). (The provision still rewards Brennan with the exemption even though the FedExCup points he earned don’t apply to him in earnest because he advanced to the BMW Championship during the FedExCup Playoffs. The 50 who qualified for the BMW are exempt into all Signature Events in 2027, so they don’t collect points during the FedExCup Fall.)
Brennan went 4-for-4 in the majors this year but his only top 40 was a T24 in his debut at the Masters. With the U.S. Open exemption secure, the only 2027 major into which he’s not yet exempt is The Open Championship. However, he’s going to rise into the top 25 of the next update of the Official World Golf Ranking. So, combined with his recent surge, he’s in terrific position to retain position inside the top-50 bubble for entry into the last major via that conduit at worst when it rolls around.
Try as he might, even unintentionally, Brennan still couldn’t steal the thunder from the promised exemptions that were fulfilled elsewhere.
Opening with the first of the two tournaments that concluded Sunday – the Open de España – champion Grant Forrest collected spots in next year’s Masters and The Open. The Scot’s 14-under 270 was one clear of former PGA Tour member Victor Perez and projected 2027 PGA Tour member Eugenio Chacarra (via the Race to Dubai as one of the 10 eligible DP World Tour members).
Augusta National Golf Club reserved an exemption for the winner at Real Club de Campo Villa in Madrid if not already exempt. It will mark Forrest’s debut at the Masters. Meanwhile, the R&A was holding a spot for the highest finisher who made the cut and wasn’t otherwise exempt into its major. The 33-year-old has pegged it twice in The Open – in 2013 and 2018. He missed the cut both times.
The last two planned berths on Sunday were targeted for the season-long points leader on the Korn Ferry Tour. Lo and behold, he wasn’t determined until the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by Virginia’s Richmond Region on Sunday.
Austin Hitt prevailed by two strokes, but with a T12, Ross Steelman squeaked by incumbent leader Sandy Scott (T43) for the top spot on the points list. It yielded exemptions into The Players Championship and the U.S. Open, tournaments at which he’ll be appearing for the first time.
Steelman also secures a PGA Tour card for 2027. He leads 20 graduates, 16 of whom will be rookies, including Hitt, who finished sixth in points. Doc Redman (eighth), Taylor Dickson (16th) and Carson Young (19th) are prior members. Blades Brown (ninth) will be a first-time member but he exhausted his rookie eligibility when he made eight starts on the PGA Tour in 2025. (Once a non-member exceeds seven starts as a professional in a single season, he cannot be a rookie in a future season.)
With the PGA Tour taking is last break during the season this week, the Japan Open is alone in the spotlight as consequential for 2027 majors. Its exemptions are the same as what Forrest earned in Spain. For that detail and remaining qualifying criteria for all tournaments, scroll or swipe past the alphabetical list of golfers currently exempt.
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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 -- Ross Steelman
MAS -- Grant Forrest
PGA -- none
US -- Michael Brennan; Ross Steelman
OPEN -- Grant Forrest
NOTE: Golfers are omitted if they haven’t competed recently in majors for which they are eligible (e.g., Masters = Trevor Immelman; The Open Championship = Paul Lawrie.
| Golfer | Qualified |
| Ludvig Åberg | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Andrew Bailey | MAS, US (must remain an amateur to compete in both) |
| Rich Beem | PGA |
| Daniel Berger | TPC |
| Akshay Bhatia | SE, TPC, MAS, US, OPEN |
| Keegan Bradley | PGA |
| Michael Brennan | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US |
| Jacob Bridgeman | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Sam Burns | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Ángel Cabrera | MAS |
| Patrick Cantlay | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Ricky Castillo | TPC |
| Bud Cauley | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA |
| Stewart Cink | OPEN |
| Wyndham Clark | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Darren Clarke | OPEN |
| Eric Cole | SE, TPC |
| Corey Conners | TPC |
| Pierceson Coody | TPC |
| Fred Couples | MAS |
| John Daly | PGA, OPEN |
| Jason Day | MAS, PGA |
| Bryson DeChambeau | MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Jason Dufner | PGA |
| David Duval | OPEN |
| Nico Echavarria | SE, TPC |
| Ernie Els | OPEN |
| Harris English | TPC, PGA |
| Steven Fisk | TPC, PGA |
| Alex Fitzpatrick | SE, TPC, MAS, US, OPEN |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Tommy Fleetwood | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Grant Forrest | MAS, OPEN |
| Rickie Fowler | SE, TPC |
| Ryan Fox | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Sergio Garcia | MAS |
| Ryan Gerard | SE, TPC, MAS, US, OPEN |
| Chris Gotterup | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Stuart Grehan | MAS, US (must remain an amateur to compete in both) |
| Max Greyserman | PGA |
| Ben Griffin | SE, TPC, PGA |
| Harry Hall | TPC |
| Brian Harman | TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Padraig Harrington | PGA, US, OPEN |
| Tyrrell Hatton | MAS, PGA, US |
| Russell Henley | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Lucas Herbert | OPEN |
| Angel Hidalgo | OPEN |
| Ryo Hisatsune | SE, TPC |
| Nicolai Højgaard | SE, TPC |
| Rasmus Højgaard | PGA |
| Max Homa | TPC, MAS |
| Billy Horschel | OPEN |
| Viktor Hovland | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Sungjae Im | SE, TPC |
| Casey Jarvis | OPEN |
| Dustin Johnson | MAS |
| Zach Johnson | TPC, MAS, OPEN |
| Martin Kaymer | PGA |
| Jerry Kelly | OPEN |
| Michael Kim | TPC |
| Si Woo Kim | SE, TPC, MAS, US, OPEN |
| Tom Kim | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Kurt Kitayama | SE, TPC, PGA |
| Jake Knapp | SE, TPC, MAS |
| Brooks Koepka | TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Jackson Koivun | TPC, MAS, PGA |
| Min Woo Lee | SE, TPC, MAS, US, OPEN |
| Jay Leng, Jr. | MAS, US (must remain an amateur to compete in both) |
| Justin Leonard | OPEN |
| Shane Lowry | TPC, PGA, OPEN |
| Robert MacIntyre | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Noah Maclauchlan | US (must remain an amateur to compete) |
| Hideki Matsuyama | SE, TPC, MAS, US, OPEN |
| Stefano Mazzoli | TPC, PGA |
| Matt McCarty | SE, TPC |
| Rory McIlroy | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Maverick McNealy | SE, TPC |
| Shaun Micheel | PGA |
| Phil Mickelson | MAS, PGA, OPEN |
| Keith Mitchell | TPC, MAS, US |
| Francesco Molinari | OPEN |
| Collin Morikawa | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen | OPEN |
| Joaquin Niemann | US |
| Alex Noren | SE, TPC, OPEN |
| José Maria Olazábal | MAS |
| Louis Oosthuizen | OPEN |
| J.T. Poston | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US |
| Aldrich Potgieter | TPC |
| Jon Rahm | MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Aaron Rai | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Patrick Reed | MAS, PGA |
| Kristoffer Reitan | SE, TPC, MAS, US, OPEN |
| Patrick Rodgers | TPC |
| Justin Rose | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Xander Schauffele | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Scottie Scheffler | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Matti Schmid | TPC, MAS, PGA |
| Charl Schwartzel | MAS |
| Adam Scott | SE, TPC, MAS, US, OPEN |
| Vijay Singh | MAS, PGA |
| Alex Smalley | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Cameron Smith | MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Jordan Smith | TPC |
| Austin Smotherman | TPC, PGA |
| Brandt Snedeker | TPC |
| J.J. Spaun | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
| Jordan Spieth | TPC, MAS, OPEN |
| Ross Steelman | TPC, US |
| Henrik Stenson | OPEN |
| Sam Stevens | TPC, US |
| Preston Stout | MAS, US, OPEN (must remain an amateur to compete in all) |
| Sepp Straka | SE, TPC, PGA |
| Nick Taylor | TPC |
| Sahith Theegala | SE, TPC |
| Justin Thomas | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA |
| Michael Thorbjornsen | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA |
| Jimmy Walker | PGA |
| Bubba Watson | MAS |
| Mike Weir | MAS |
| Jack Whaley | MAS, US, OPEN (must remain an amateur to compete in the Masters and The Open) |
| Danny Willett | MAS |
| Gary Woodland | SE, TPC, MAS, US, OPEN |
| Tiger Woods | MAS, PGA, OPEN |
| Y.E. Yang | PGA |
| Sudarshan Yellamaraju | TPC |
| Cameron Young | SE, TPC, MAS, PGA, US, OPEN |
REMAINING QUALIFYING CRITERIA
Criteria are listed in chronological order where possible. Until all are confirmed, best estimates are given and all are subject to change.
Signature events
- AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Feb. 4-7)
- The Genesis Invitational (Feb. 18-21)
- Cadillac Championship (March 4-7)
- Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (March 18-21)
- RBC Heritage (April 15-18)
- Truist Championship (May 13-16)
- the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (June 3-6)
- Travelers Championship (June 24-27)
The Players Championship (TPC) at TPC Sawgrass (Stadium) – March 11-14
- Winners of PGA Tour events through the final week before The Players.
- Leader of the Race to Dubai ranking to earn a PGA Tour card at the conclusion of the DP World Tour Championship (Nov. 15).
- Top 100 in the FedExCup at the conclusion of The RSM Classic (Nov. 22).
- Top 10 in the FedExCup at the conclusion of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches (Feb. 28).
- Top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking (March 1).
- If necessary to complete the field of 120, golfers outside the top 10 in the FedExCup at the conclusion of the Cognizant Classic on Feb. 28 will gain entry in order of position.
Masters (MAS) at Augusta National Golf Club – April 8-11
- Winners of PGA Tour events that award full FedExCup points allocation for the Tour Championship.
- Winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur, if still an amateur (Oct. 1).
- Winner of the Japan Open (Oct. 18).
- Winner of the Hong Kong Open (Oct. 25).
- Winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (Nov. 1).
- Winner of the Australian Open (Dec. 6).
- Top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking (Dec. 31).
- Winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (Jan. 17).
- Winner of the South African Open (March 7).
- Top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking (March 29).
- Special invitations to international players per Masters Tournament Committee at its discretion.
PGA Championship (PGA) at PGA Frisco – May 20-23
- Winners of PGA Tour events through the final week before the 2027 PGA Championship.
- Top three from International Federation Ranking List (TBD).
- Winner of the Senior PGA Championship (April 18).
- Top 20 from PGA Professional Championship (April 28).
- Top three from Asian Swing ranking on the DP World Tour (May 2).
- Top 70 from special money list (i.e., "PGA Championship Points") on PGA Tour from 2026 Truist Championship/Myrtle Beach Classic through the Valspar Championship (May 9).
- Special exemptions per PGA of America. (This likely will include all golfers from the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking on May 9.)
- If necessary to complete the field of 156, golfers outside top 70 from special money list (two lines above) will gain entry in order of position.
U.S. Open (US) at Pebble Beach Golf Links – June 17-20
- Winners of multiple PGA Tour events that award full FedExCup points allocation since the 2026 U.S. Open.
- Winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur, if still an amateur (Oct. 1).
- Winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (Jan. 17).
- Winner of The Players Championship (March 14).
- Winner of the Masters (April 11).
- Winner of the PGA Championship (May 23).
- Top five, not otherwise exempt, in the FedExCup at the conclusion of a PGA Tour event TBD in 2027 (TBD).
- Top two, not otherwise exempt, in the 2026 Race to Dubai at the conclusion of an event TBD in 2027 (TBD).
- Top player, not otherwise exempt, in the 2027 Race to Dubai (TBD).
- Leader, not otherwise exempt, in the top three of the LIV Golf Individual Standings (TBD).
- Top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking (1 of 2) (TBD).
- Final qualifying (TBD).
- Winner of the NCAA Division I individual championship, if still an amateur (June 2).
- Top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking (2 of 2) (TBD).
- Special exemptions per the USGA.
The Open Championship (OPEN) at St. Andrews Links (Old Course) -- July 15-18
- Top finisher, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the Japan Open (Oct. 18).
- Top finisher, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the Hong Kong Open (Oct. 25).
- Winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (Nov. 1).
- Top 25 in the Race to Dubai at the conclusion of the DP World Tour Championship (Nov. 15).
- Top three, not otherwise exempt, who make the cut at the Australian Open (Dec. 6).
- Winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (Jan. 17).
- Winner of the Africa Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (TBD).
- Top finisher, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the New Zealand Open (Feb. 28).
- Top finisher, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the 120th Open de Argentina (TBD).
- Top three, not otherwise exempt, who make the cut at the South African Open (March 7).
- Winner of The Players Championship (March 14).
- Top finisher, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (March 21).
- Winner of the Masters (April 11).
- Top two, not otherwise exempt, who make the cut at the Singapore Open (April 18).
- Top four in the Federation Ranking (May 20).
- Top finisher, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the KOLON Korea Open (May 23).
- Winner of the PGA Championship (May 23).
- Top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking (May 24).
- Top two, not otherwise exempt, who make the cut at the Mizuno Open (May 30).
- Top finisher, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (June 6).
- Top three, not otherwise exempt, who make the cut at the RBC Canadian Open (June 13).
- Winner of the British Amateur, if still an amateur (June 19).
- Winner of the U.S. Open (June 20).
- Winner of the European Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (June 26).
- Leader in World Amateur Golf Ranking points accumulated at the St. Andrews Links Trophy (TBD), British Amateur (June 19) and European Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (June 26).
- Top five, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 20 in the Race to Dubai at the conclusion of the Open d'Italia (June 27).
- Top five, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 20 in the FedExCup at the conclusion of the Travelers Championship (June 27).
- Final Qualifying (June 29).
- Top finisher, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the Irish Open (July 4).
- Top finisher, not otherwise exempt, who makes the cut at the John Deere Classic (July 4).
- Top three, not otherwise exempt, who make the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open (July 11).
- Winner of the Last-Chance Qualifier (July 12).
