The Open Championship will add a dramatic new wrinkle in 2026 with the introduction of a one-spot Monday qualifier, giving 12 players a last-minute opportunity to earn the final place in The 154th Open Championship set to return to Royal Birkdale.

The R&A announced Tuesday that the “Last-Chance Qualifier” will be held Monday, July 13, with four groups teeing off between 7:30-8:03 a.m. local time. The 18-hole stroke-play event is part of a series of enhancements aimed at elevating the fan experience by injecting early-week tension into golf’s oldest major.

“The Last-Chance Qualifier will provide fans with the opportunity to watch high-quality, competitive golf, which will generate drama and intrigue as players compete to earn the final place in the Championship,” said Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, chief championships officer at The R&A. “Every golfer who tees it up at Royal Birkdale will have earned the right to do so, and we look forward to seeing which player emerges from the field in the Last-Chance Qualifier to seal their place in the Championship.”

The 12-player field will be determined through a tiered eligibility system that mirrors existing pathways into The Open.

Invitations will be extended in the following order detailed by The R&A:

• The leading two non-exempt players in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) as published on Monday, July 6.
• The runner-up in The Amateur Championship, provided they are still an amateur on Monday, July 13.
• Players who missed out on having been in a playoff at Final Qualifying.
• Players who finished one position behind those who secured a place in The Open at Final Qualifying.
• Players who were tied for a qualifying place in Open Qualifying Series events (excluding Scotland) but did not qualify due to a lower position in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Because the number of eligible golfers is expected to exceed available places, invitations will be offered in order of exemption category until the field reaches 12. A reserve list will follow the same sequence, with each category emptied fully before moving to the next. The R&A noted that a replacement could only fall outside the published exemption structure in exceptional circumstances.

The qualifier also impacts the tournament’s reserve list. The Open’s first two reserves, both competing in the Monday event, will keep their reserve status until the full field begins play on Thursday. Remaining reserve positions will then be assigned based on finishing order in the Last-Chance Qualifier, with OWGR rankings used as a tiebreaker unless a playoff determines the lone qualifying berth. Any ties for The Open’s final place after 18 holes will be settled in a playoff.

Players will be notified as they earn eligibility, with most confirmations expected July 1 and additional spots finalized after the July 6 OWGR release.

The exciting new qualifier will kickstart the intrigue as the season's final major returns to the stage where Jordan Spieth captured his third career major championship in 2017.