Masters and The Open 2027: six shared national-open pathways, with two events still to come

Six national opens, two majors — and two different qualifying mechanisms

With the Link Hong Kong Open concluding on 25 October 2026, the winners of four of the six national opens included in the joint Augusta National Golf Club–The R&A qualification programme have been identified. Two tournaments still lie ahead: the Australian Open on 3–6 December 2026 and the South African Open on 4–7 March 2027.

This is not a new rule introduced on 25 October. Augusta National and The R&A formally reconfirmed the arrangement for the 2027 majors on 21 September 2026. The shared approach was first introduced for the 2026 editions. It concerns entry into specific championships, not changes to the Rules of Golf or the World Handicap System.

The six national opens

1. Genesis Scottish Open — 2026 champion Tom Kim.
2. Open de España — October 2026 champion Grant Forrest.
3. Japan Open Golf Championship — October 2026 champion Yusaku Hosono.
4. Link Hong Kong Open — 25 October champion John Catlin.
5. Australian Open — 3–6 December 2026; winner still to be determined.
6. South African Open — 4–7 March 2027; winner still to be determined.

These are the six national opens whose winners qualify under the Masters invitation categories. They are also associated with The Open Qualifying Series, but the number of Open places and the identity of the recipient are not necessarily the same as for the Masters.

The crucial difference: winners versus leading non-exempt finishers

At the Masters, the specified qualification category is for the winner of the selected national open. If the champion already holds a Masters exemption, it does not follow that the runner-up automatically inherits the invitation. The number of qualifying categories and the number of additional entrants are different measures.

At The Open, the Open Qualifying Series (OQS) assigns each participating event a specified number of places for the highest finishers who are not already exempt, subject to the published event conditions, including making the cut where required. The Australian Open offers three such Open places, while the South African Open offers three. A national-open champion may therefore secure invitations to both majors, but a different player at that same event may earn an Open place without earning a Masters invitation.

Where the process stands

As of 25 October 2026, winners have emerged from Scotland, Spain, Japan and Hong Kong. The results in Australia and South Africa are not yet known. Describing the first four winners as four new entrants would be misleading: one player can qualify through more than one category, and the final list of invitations is settled by each organiser's rules.

The 2027 Masters is scheduled for 5–11 April (championship rounds 8–11 April). The 155th Open is scheduled for 11–18 July 2027 at St Andrews (championship rounds 15–18 July). Other qualifying channels — rankings, exemptions, and additional qualifying events — continue to operate separately.

Official documentation

The primary announcement is the 21 September 2026 joint statement by Augusta National and The R&A. Event-by-event Open places are listed in The Open Qualifying Series, with current qualifiers and exemption categories in the official qualification tracker. The Asian Tour's Hong Kong Open conditions explicitly distinguish the winner's Masters invitation from the highest non-exempt finisher's Open place.

Image: archival view of the Old Course and R&A clubhouse in St Andrews, not an image of the 2026 qualifying events. Nicolesabrina / Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. Original file. Unmodified.