R&A makes key changes to Open Championship exemption categories starting in 2024

The new exemption categories won’t open the door any wider for more LIV Golf players to compete in the Open.

The R&A has made a change to its exemption categories for future Open Championships starting with the 2024 tournament at Royal Troon, but it isn’t to include more LIV Golf players.

On Wednesday the governing body announced that past champions will only be exempt until the age of 55. The current age cap is 60. All golfers currently exempt as past champions will be grandfathered in and still be able to play the Open until 60.

In addition, a new exemption will be offered to players on the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and the Sunshine Tour to qualify through the International Federation Ranking list, where the top five players on the list will earn a spot in the Open. An exemption for the Africa Amateur Champion has also been added.

Solely for the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, July 18-21, Michael Hendry has been granted a medical exemption after he was unable to play in last year’s Open due to serious illness.

LIV players have been clamoring for a special exemption category even before the league withdrew its application for Official World Golf Ranking points. As it stands now, the following 13 players will tee it up at Royal Troon this summer:

Dean Burmester, Bryson DeChambeau. Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Adrian Meronk, Phil Mickelson, Joaquin Niemann, Louis Oosthuizen, David Puig, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Henrik Stenson.

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LIV Golf’s David Puig punches ticket to 2024 Open Championship with Asian Tour win

Nine players have already qualified for the Open via the Open Qualifying Series.

David Puig is bound for Scotland this summer.

The 22-year-old Spaniard won the Asian Tour’s IRS Prima Malaysian Open at Mines Resort and Golf Club thanks to consecutive rounds of 62 on the weekend to earn not only his second Asian Tour victory in four months but also a place at the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media], July 18-21.

The Malaysian Open was the first Open Qualifying Series event of 2024. The next is the PGA Tour’s 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational, March 7-10. Six players have already qualified via the series. Dean Burmester, Darren Fichardt and Dan Bradbury earned their spots late in 2023 at the Joburg Open, while Joaquin Niemann, Rikuya Hoshino and Adam Scott earned theirs at the ISPS Handa Australian Open.

“It feels great, weird feeling for sure. We almost missed the cut. I was kind of playing good, but I kind of messed up,” said Puig, who was flirting with the cutline after the second round. “We actually finished round two good, and the weekend was just insane. I mean 18 birdies, no bogeys, in 36 holes was unbelievable.”

“And getting that Open spot is super cool, I came here for that,” he added.

Runner-up Jeunghun Wang will also join Puig at the Open, same with Denwit Boriboonsub, who finished T-3 with John Catlin but won the tiebreaker thanks to his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking. Puig and Boriboonsub will make their Open debuts, while Wang will make his third start after missed cuts in 2016 and 2017.

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Santiago de la Fuente punches Masters, British Open tickets with 2024 Latin America Amateur win

De la Fuente is a senior at the University of Houston.

A pair of major championship tickets have been punched in Panama.

Mexico’s Santiago De la Fuente shot a 6-under 64 in the final round, the low round of the day, to win the 2024 Latin America Amateur Championship at Santa Maria Golf Club in Panama City by two shots over his fellow countryman Omar Morales (69). With the victory, de la Fuente has earned a spot in both the 2024 Masters at Augusta National and 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.

In addition to the Masters and Open, de la Fuente has also earned invitations to this summer’s Amateur Championship and the U.S. Amateur. He and Morales are also exempt to the final stage of qualifying for the U.S. Open. De la Fuente finished T-2 one shot behind champion Aaron Jarvis in 2022.

De la Fuente is a senior at the University of Houston and finished T-2 at the Argent Financial Classic earlier this fall. Morales is a junior at UCLA and finished T-1 in October at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate and finished runner-up two weeks later at the Cal Poly Invitational.

Past winners

2024 — Santiago de la Fuente

2023 — Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira

2022 — Aaron Jarvis

2021 — Canceled

2020 — Abel Gallegos

2019 — Alvaro Ortiz

2018 — Joaquín Niemann

2017 — Toto Gana

2016 — Paul Chaplet

2015 — Matias Domínguez

Augusta National, tractor rides and 90,000 Bulldog fans: Brian Harman is giving the Claret Jug a ride

Kisner told Golfweek that the Augusta National staff notified them this is believed to be a first.

As the Champion Golfer of the Year and with possession of the Claret Jug for one year, Brian Harman has been checking off some potential firsts with the famed silver trophy awarded annually to the winner of the British Open.

Harman took the Claret Jug to Augusta National Golf Club in late October during the weekend of the annual Florida/Georgia football game. Fellow Bulldog Kevin Kisner and a couple other friends joined him on the trip.

“Just bro-ing out up there,” Harman said.

Kisner told Golfweek that the Augusta National staff told them it is believed to be the first time that a winner has ever brought the Claret Jug to the home of the Masters.

“I can’t verify if it’s the only time it’s been there and so I feel bad saying that,” Harman tells Golfweek. “If they want to say that, that’s great.”

But he was more confident of another potential first with the Jug.

“It’s been inside my tractor,” Harman tells Golfweek. “I don’t know if it’s ever been inside a tractor. We took it down there and rode around for a minute just so we could say we did it.”

2023 British Open
Brian Harman looks on on the 18th hole on Day Two of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 21, 2023 in Hoylake, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Harman may need to check with Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open champ and avid farmer, about being first.

But the highlight of hanging with the Jug so far for Harman, he said, was being honored on the field during Georgia’s home game against Ole Miss in early November, a night game at Sanford Field.

“That was cool because my wife and kid were with me,” he said to Golfweek.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czj7KoBOCB5/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=9af42ead-6e16-48d8-9c2d-ce2232d1349c

“That was probably the highlight of the partying with it so far,” he said Thursday after his opening round at The Sentry. “It’s quite the party trick. It’s been a lot of fun to possess for a year.”

And enjoy it, he has.

“It’s an antique, it’s a relic,” Harman said Thursday. “It’s like a golfing past.” 

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Three players (including a LIV golfer) qualify for 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon

The Open Qualifying Series is off and running with major championship exemptions on the line.

Dean Burmester, Darren Fichardt and Dan Bradbury have all qualified for next year’s 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon via the Joburg Open, the first event in the Open Qualifying Series.

The series offers players from around the world the opportunity to qualify for one of the four men’s majors and is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour.

Burmester, who now plays in the LIV Golf League and finished 14th last season, earned a three-shot win at Houghton Golf Club in Johannesburg, South Africa, at 18 under and will play in his third Open next year. Fichardt last qualified for the Open in 2017 after winning the Joburg Open at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club. He finished runner-up this year at 15 under after a final-round 64. The defending champion Bradbury also shot 64 on Sunday to take the third qualifying spot at 13 under.

Next up in the series is the ISPS Handa Australian Open, Nov. 30-Dec. 3 at The Lakes and The Australian in Sydney. Here are the rest of the events included in the qualifying series and how many Open places are available at each.

2024 Open Qualifying Series events remaining

Event Date Exemptions available
ISPS Handa Australian Open Nov. 30-Dec. 3, 2023 Three places to leading players not already exempt
Arnold Palmer Invitational March 7-10, 2024 One place to leading player not already exempt
RBC Canadian Open May 30-June 2, 2024 Three places to leading players not already exempt
Memorial Tournament June 6-9, 2024 One place to leading player not already exempt
KLM Open June 20-23, 2024 Two places to leading player not already exempt
Regional qualifying June 24, 2024 None
Italian Open June 27-30, 2024 Two places to leading player not already exempt
Final qualifying July 2, 2024 Minimum of 16 places
John Deere Classic July 4-7, 2024 Two places to leading player not already exempt
Genesis Scottish Open July 11-14, 2024 Three places to leading players not already exempt

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Ivor Robson, longtime British Open starter, dead at 83

“As official starter at The Open for over 40 years, his voice was instantly recognizable and synonymous with the Championship.”

Ivor Robson, the longtime starter at the British Open known for his distinctive voice, has died at the age of 83.

From Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods, from Arnold Palmer to Seve Ballesteros, from Tom Watson to Rory McIlroy, he sent them on their way to glory, introducing players in his familiar fashion, beginning with “Now on the tee,” followed by the name of the player. He also famously never took a bathroom break between the first tee time and the last.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of Ivor’s passing,” said Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A. “As official starter at The Open for over 40 years, his voice was instantly recognizable and synonymous with the Championship for players and millions of golf fans worldwide.

“He was popular and well respected among all golfers who played in The Open and I know that they will share in our sadness at this news. On behalf of all of us at The R&A, I would like to convey our heartfelt condolences to his wife of 61 years, Lesley, and the Robson family.”

It was in 2015 when he announced his retirement, working the British Open at St. Andrews for the final time, before making his final announcements when the curtain came down on the DP World Tour season in Dubai in November 2015.

“I feel you can’t go on forever and if you’re going to step off there’s no better place to do it than here. I’ve had some nice ones but this is special, St Andrews. It is just magnificent,” he said at the time.

“It has been a wonderful career. It’s been a great honor. The way I have been treated by players, officials, sponsors … thank you all very much.”

Ivor Robson, with Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler
Ivor Robson, with Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler at the first tee.

Robson also served for over 40 years as the DP World Tour’s official starter with his “on the tee” message delivered in his brogue at famous golf venues around the globe.

A resident of Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway, Robson was born in England in 1940 and began his remarkable career at the 1975 British Open at Carnoustie. He went on to earn the admiration of the best players in the world, sending players off from the first tee with his famous words and a hearty grin.

“To the professionals, it has been great fun being here with you,” he added in 2015. “We have had lots of banter and it has been wonderful. You are a credit to the professional game. And to the spectators, thank you for your wonderful support over the years.”

Looking back to his Open career, he added, “It is a great honor to be the official starter for the greatest championship in the world. I’m privileged and immensely proud. They were all very special.”

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Winner’s Bag: Brian Harman, 2023 British Open

A complete list of the golf equipment Harman used at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

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A complete list of the golf equipment Brian Harman used to win the 2023 British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club:

DRIVER: Titleist TSi2 (9 degrees), with Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 5 S shaft

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Brian Harman’s driver” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/21aKPA”]

FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist TS2 (13.5 degrees), with Fujikura Speeder 661 Evolution 2 S shaft

IRONS: Titleist U•500 (3-5), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 90HY 6.0 shafts, Titleist 620 CB (6-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 shafts

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Brian Harman’s irons” link=”https://globalgolf.pxf.io/xkZmrd”]

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (50, 54, 60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Brian Harman’s wedges” link=”https://globalgolf.pxf.io/OrY17z”]

PUTTER: TaylorMade Daddy Long Legs

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

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Get the latest British Open leaderboard updates, news, and more.

Open Championship future sites through 2026

Take a scroll through the Open Championship host courses through 2026.

Royal Liverpool was a superb host of the 2023 Open Championship, the 13th time the venue hosted the oldest major in golf.

There are but three future golf courses scheduled to host, with the 152nd playing of the tournament coming in 2024.

The R&A, which runs the Open, calls the tournament “nature’s test of character”, stating on its website:

“Links golf is nature in all its unforgiving force – and The Open is where nature is pitted against the very best of the very best. It’s where champions must set aside what came before. Alone, skill and years of diligent preparation are not enough.”

Take a look at the next three Open Championship host venues.

Go to theopen.com for more information.

Q&A: Why is France’s Jean Van de Velde, who nearly won the 1999 British Open, teaching golf in Mexico?

Who can forget the way he squandered a three-stroke lead on the last hole of the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie?

I flew to Mexico for a golf lesson from a Frenchman.

That’s where Jean Van de Velde, the affable golfer who once nearly had both hands on the Claret Jug but let it slip away in dramatic fashion is living and working these days, heading up the Jean Van de Velde Golf Academy at Punta Minta, located on the southernmost point of the Riviera Nayarit, 30 miles northwest of the resort city of Puerto Vallarta.

Who can forget the way he squandered a three-stroke lead on the last hole of the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie and lost to Scotland’s Paul Lawrie in a three-man playoff?

Van de Velde kept his chin up and dealt with defeat with class and a smile on his face. In October, we met for a golf lesson and a talk about the game he loves. It could’ve continued for hours, especially if we started drinking a good bottle of his wine, but unfortunately he had pick up duty and had to run off to fetch his son. Suffice it to say, he’s still active in the game as an instructor, television broadcaster, tournament operator and wine merchant among other things. One of the more fascinating parts of our talk occurred when we talked about the golf swing as he tried to straighten out my penchant to hook it and more recent struggles with a block to the right — “That’s when you load too much on the left on the backswing,” he said.

Jean Van de Velde gives Golfweek senior writer Adam Schupak a lesson at his golf academy in Punta Mita in Mexico. (Adam Schupak/Golfweek)

“I’m a guy who looks at what the golf ball does to identify what system you’re in. Whether it is a draw or a fade, as long as you control that shot it’s OK. What matters is repetition,” he said. “Then you decide, OK, this is what you do, and maybe with a little effort this is where you can be. Do you want to embark on that journey or learn to control the system you’re already in? I’m not the guy who is going to try to transform you just for the sake of it just because I have one swing thought in my head. Do I have a few preferences? It’s like the salt and the pepper in a recipe. At the end of the day, you need to have the ingredients.”

During his playing career, Van de Velde worked with legends in the teaching world from John Jacobs to David Leadbetter to Butch Harmon.

“David tried to re-make a few things,” Van de Velde said. “We tried to work on my takeaway. I was bringing the club a little too inside, I was crossing the line, my body had completed the turn and my arms were still moving. It’s all fine as long as you have the right timing, but when things go wrong again, where do you start? How do you get back on track as fast as you can? He said, ‘This is what I think,’ but at the end of the day it was my decision. He didn’t burn me with an iron and you’re going to do it. I implemented a few changes so I could swing in a way that was going to be more reliable. I did believe and I still do that he and Butch and John Jacobs and a few others were a big influence on me and they were right in their analysis.”

He continued: “Technique and teaching, I’ve always been very interested and read a lot of things and been lucky to be around some great thinkers on the swing. I believe the swing is made up of little imperfections. If you look at me swinging, I always had my hands behind at address, but I always started with a forward press. Do you want to change that or look at what goes together and make it happen? In 1999, I had control of my system and I putted pretty well. That year you see what I did at the Open but the best golf I played was in 2000 — by a mile. I played 18-20 times in America and finished 60th on the money list. I played I think 10 times in Europe and was 20 or 30th. In my life, I tried not to reinvent things. I used what others had done and adapted to myself. I told Bernhard Langer that I was going to try to play both tours and he said, ‘Just be careful. I tried that and it was complicated.’ I knew playing in the U.S. was going to have an expiration date. My kids were already in school in Geneva. It was hard to say, you know what, I’m going to play in America. Who’s around me? Who do I rely on? It wasn’t easy. It’s different now. The guys start playing in college golf and they make their lives straight away in the U.S. They are already structured whether it is Viktor Hovland or Jon Rahm.”

Jean Van de Velde attempts to fix the ball flight of Golfweek senior writer Adam Schupak, saying, “It ain’t going left, Sunshine,” after he straightened him out. (Adam Schupak/Golfweek)

Van de Velde suggested I do a drill where I held the club with the face a few degrees open at address. In his disarming style, he said, “you’re on the range. It doesn’t matter. Let’s see what happens.”

I swung and the ball flew right at the flag where I was aiming.

“It ain’t going to go left, Sunshine,” he said. “Not possible.”

In that moment, Jean Van de Velde became my latest golf guru. Here’s more from Van de Velde on the Ryder Cup, what went wrong with budding French star Victor Dubuisson and the time he stuck Jose-Maria Olazabal with the tab for a dozen or so bottles of fine wine from the Augusta National wine cellar.

TaylorMade’s staff bag at Royal Liverpool is filled with hidden meaning

The attention-grabbing bright yellow bag pays homage to the famous yellow scoreboard that the R&A erects.

As several other brands do during major championship weeks, TaylorMade creates unique golf bags for its staff players and then sells them on its website. We have shown you the special bags TaylorMade produced for this season’s Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open, and now, for the 2023 British Open, TaylorMade has released an eye-catcher.

As you probably guessed, the attention-grabbing bright yellow bag pays homage to the famous yellow scoreboard that the R&A erects next to the 18th green at every British Open. However, there are loads of details designed into the bag, as well as the clubhead covers and the commemorative TP5x Pix balls that TaylorMade has created to celebrate this season’s final major championship.

Open Championship 2023: Leaderboard, scores, news, tee times, more

TaylorMade’s 2023 British Open staff bag, wood head covers, putter covers and TP5 Pix golf balls are for sale at taylormadegolf.com.

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