The 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush: Comprehensive Participant List and Qualification Criteria
The 153rd Open Championship is set to take place at Royal Portrush from July 17-20, with a strong lineup of golfing greats set to compete for the prestigious title. The tournament, which will be played in front of a partisan crowd, will see renowned players such as Rory McIlroy, the hometown favourite, defending champion Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, and major winners like Cameron Smith, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry, Jordan Spieth, and Phil Mickelson.
Many top players have secured their spots through various exemption categories set by The R&A. These categories include past Open wins, recent major victories, world rankings, and performances in key tournaments. For instance, Dustin Johnson, Matt Fitzpatrick, and K.J. Choi have all qualified due to their previous major wins.
A significant portion of the field earned their spots through Final Qualifying events held at four UK venues - Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald Links, Royal Cinque Ports, and West Lancashire. Players like Lee Westwood, Lucas Herbert, and Dean Burmester secured their places by excelling in these rigorous 36-hole qualifiers.
Some players have also earned exemptions through LIV Golf standings. Sergio Garcia, for example, qualified by being ranked 4th in the LIV Golf standings after the LIV Dallas event. LIV Golf players such as Lee Westwood and Lucas Herbert also earned qualification via the Final Qualifying events.
Amateur players like Cameron Adam, Justin Hastings, Ethan Fang, and Bryan Newman qualified through The Open Amateur Series and other tournaments, while Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Chris Kirk, Matthieu Pavon, and the first player in the top-five of the 2025 LIV Golf Individual Season Standings after LIV Golf Dallas have qualified through LIV Golf standings and the Italian Open respectively.
The field at Royal Portrush in 2025 is a strong mix of past major champions, top-ranked players, LIV Golf representatives, and qualifiers from diverse routes, ensuring a highly competitive championship lineup. Every player in The Open has earned their spot, making the tournament a true testament to their skill and determination.
The event will feature 147 professional golfers and 9 amateurs, with the tournament being the final men's Major of the year. Among the professionals who have qualified are Ludvig Aberg, Byeong Hun An, Daniel Berger, Akshay Bhatia, Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Wyndham Clark, Corey Conners, Jason Day, Bryson DeChambeau, Thomas Detry, Harris English, Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood, Lucas Glover, Max Greyserman, Ben Griffin, Tyrrell Hatton, Tom Hoge, Viktor Hovland, Mackenzie Hughes, Stephan Jaeger, Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee, Robert MacIntyre, Hideki Matsuyama, Denny McCarthy, Maverick McNealy, Andrew Novak, Taylor Pendrick, JT Poston, Aaron Rai, JJ Spaun, Sepp Straka, Nick Taylor, Sahith Theegala, Justin Thomas, Jhonattan Vegas, and Jordan Smith, who qualified based on being in the OWGR Top-50 after Week 21.
Royal Portrush will host the tournament for the third time, having previously hosted The Open in 1951 and 2019. The tournament saw Herbert Gustavus Max Faulkner and Shane Lowry win respectively in these years. Xander Schauffele, who won the tournament in 2023, has also qualified for the 2025 edition based on being an Open Champion aged 55 or under.
Stewart Cink, Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Brian Harman, Padraig Harrington, Zach Johnson, Justin Leonard, Shane Lowry, Phil Mickelson, Francesco Molinari, Collin Morikawa, Louis Oosthuizen, Cameron Smith, Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, and Xander Schauffele have also qualified based on being Open Champions aged 60 or under.
With a strong lineup of players, a historic venue, and a competitive spirit, The 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush promises to be an unforgettable event.
Golf enthusiasts can look forward to watching sports legends compete in the 2025 Open Championship, as renowned players like Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Smith, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry, Jordan Spieth, and Phil Mickelson are set to tee off at Royal Portrush. Several players, such as Lee Westwood and Lucas Herbert, have secured their spots through the Final Qualifying events, while others like Sergio Garcia qualified via LIV Golf standings.
