Maximum age of past champions reduced as R&A reveals Open exemptions changes ahead of Royal Troon

The R&A have announced changes to the qualifying exemptions for this year's Open Championship at Royal Troon.

The winner of The Open at Royal Troon will be given a shorter exemption into the historic golf Major than previous winners, the R&A has revealed.

Previously, the winner of the Claret Jug has been exempt until the age of 60, but from 2024 that will be reduced to 55. All past champions’ exemptions will remain unchanged.

Tom Watson famously came agonizingly close to winning a sixth Claret Jug just seven weeks before his 60th birthday at Turnberry in 2009, but future champions will not get such an opportunity.

The announcement came as the R&A revealed a new exemption category that will offer players competing on the Asian Tour, the Japan Golf Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia, and the Sunshine Tour the opportunity to qualify through the International Federation Ranking list. The leading five golfers will be awarded places in The Open, giving LIV golfers, who don’t receive OWGR points on their own tour, another avenue into the Major.

Several LIV players were already competing on those International tours to earn world-ranking points and gain spots in the Majors, including American pro Andy Ogletree, who is currently second in the International Federation Ranking list.

The likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau are already exempt thanks to recent Major victories, while Phil Mickelson’s 2013 Muirfield win ensures he’ll return to Troon alongside Henrik Stenson – the man who beat him on a dramatic final day the last time the tournament was held at Troon in 2016.

An exemption for the Africa Amateur Champion has also been added. Altin van der Merwe will take this year’s spot after his victory in the inaugural championship at Leopard Creek last month.

The R&A has also granted a medical exemption to Michael Hendry after a serious illness left him unable to play in the 151^st Open at Royal Liverpool.

Nine players have already booked their spots at Troon through The Open Qualifying Series.

Dean Burmester, Darren Fichardt and Dan Bradbury qualified at the Joburg Open before Joaquin Niemann, Rikuya Hoshino and Adam Scott earned the three places available at the ISPS Handa Australian Open.

The first qualifying event of 2024 was the IRS Prima Malaysian Open at The Mines Resort & Golf Club in February. David Puig finished with back-to-back 62s to claim victory and he will be joined in Troon by runner-up Jeunghun Wang and Denwit Boriboonsub.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, the RBC Canadian Open and the John Deere Classic will offer golfers on the PGA TOUR opportunities to qualify.

On the DP World Tour, places will be awarded at the KLM Open, Italian Open and Genesis Scottish Open, which is co-sanctioned with the PGA TOUR. 

The Mizuno Open will also offer three places when it is played at JFE Setonaikai, Okayama, in May. And two places will be offered at the KOLON Korea Open, which will be staged at Woo Jeong Hills in Cheonan in June.

Final Qualifying events will be held at Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald Links, Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancashire on 2 July with a minimum of 16 places available. This will follow 14 Regional Qualifying events taking place on 24 June. Fulford and Bearwood Lakes have been added to the list of venues hosting Regional Qualifying.

Who has already qualified for the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon?

Andersen, Mason – 15
Bjork, Alexander – 6
Boriboonsub, Denwit – OQS Malaysia
Bradbury, Dan – OQS South Africa
Bradley, Keegan – 13
Burmester, Dean – OQS South Africa
Burns, Sam – 13
Campillo, Jorge – 6
Cantlay, Patrick – 13
Cejka, Alex – 18
Cink, Stewart – 1
Clark, Wyndham – 9, 13
Clarke, Darren – 1
Conners, Corey – 13
Curtis, Ben – 1
Daly, John – 1
Day, Jason – 4, 13
DeChambeau, Bryson – 9
De La Fuente, Santiago – 24 
Duval, David – 1
Els, Ernie – 1
Fichardt, Darren – OQS South Africa
Finau, Tony – 13
Fitzpatrick, Matt – 6, 9, 13
Fleetwood, Tommy – 4, 6, 13
Fowler, Rickie – 13
Fox, Ryan – 6, 7
Glover, Lucas – 13
Grillo, Emiliano – 4, 13
Hamilton, Todd – 1
Harman, Brian – 1, 3, 4, 13
Harrington, Padraig – 1
Hatton, Tyrrell – 6, 13
Hendry, Michael – 27
Henley, Russell – 13
Hillier, Daniel – 6
Hisatsune, Ryo – 6
Hojgaard, Nicolai – 6
Hojgaard, Rasmus – 6
Homa, Max – 4, 13
Horschel, Billy – 7
Hoshino, Rikuya – OQS Australia
Hovland, Viktor – 6, 13
Im, Sungjae – 13
Iwasaki, Aguri – 17
Johnson, Dustin – 10
Johnson, Zach – 1, 3
Jordan, Matthew – 4
Kim, Tom – 4, 6, 13
Kim, Si Woo – 13
Koepka, Brooks – 11
Langasque, Romain – 6
Lawrence, Thriston – 6
Lawrie, Paul – 1
Lee, Min Woo – 6
Leonard, Justin – 1
Lowry, Shane – 1, 3, 7
Luiten, Joost – 6
MacIntyre, Robert – 6
Matsuyama, Hideki – 10
McIlroy, Rory – 1, 3, 4, 6, 13
Meronk, Adrian – 6
Mickelson, Phil – 1, 3, 11
Molinari, Francesco – 1, 3
Moore, Taylor – 13
Morikawa, Collin – 1, 3, 11, 13
Niemann, Joaquin – OQS Australia
Norrman, Vincent – 6
Olesen, Thorbjorn – 6
Oosthuizen, Louis – 1
Paul, Yannik – 6
Pavon, Mathieu – 6
Perez, Victor – 6
Puig, David – OQS Malaysia
Rahm, Jon – 4, 6, 9, 10, 13
Sargent, Gordon – 22
Schauffele, Xander – 13
Scheffler, Scottie – 10, 12, 13
Schenk, Adam – 13
Scott, Adam – OQS Australia
Sharma, Shubhankar – 4
Siem, Marcel – 6
Smith, Cameron – 1, 3, 12
Smith, Jordan – 6
Soderberg, Sebastian – 6
Spieth, Jordan – 1, 3, 13
Stenson, Henrik – 1, 3
Straka, Sepp – 4, 13
Stubbs, Jasper – 23
Taylor, Nick – 13
Thomas, Justin – 11
Valimaki, Sami – 6
Wallace, Matt – 6
Wang, Jeunghun – OQS Malaysia
Woodland, Gary – 9
Woods, Tiger – 1, 10
Young, Cameron – 4

Exemption Categories:

1. The Open Champions aged 60 or under on 21 July 2024 (for all Champions up to 2024)
2. The Open Champions aged 55 or under on 21 July 2024 (for all Champions from 2024)
3. The Open Champions for 2013-2023
4. First 10 anyone tying for 10th place in The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool in 2023
5. The first 50 players on the OWGR for Week 21, 2024
6. First 30 in the Final Race to Dubai Rankings for 2023
7. The BMW PGA Championship winners for 2021-2023
8. First five DP World Tour members and any Race to Dubai members tying for 5th place, not otherwise exempt, in the top 20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings on completion of the 2024 BMW International
9. The US Open Champions for 2019-2024
10. The Masters Tournament Champions for 2019-2024
11. The PGA Champions for 2018-2024
12. The PLAYERS Champions for 2022-2024
13. Top 30 players for the Final 2023 FedEx Cup
14. First 5 PGA TOUR members and any PGA TOUR members tying for 5th place, not exempt in the top 20 of the PGA TOUR FedEx Cup for 2024 on completion of the 2024 Travelers Championship
15. The 117th VISA Open de Argentina 2024 Champion
16. The first 5 players on the 2024 Federations Ranking List as of closing date
17. The Japan Open Champion for 2023
18. The Senior Open Champion for 2023
19. The Amateur Champion for 2024
20. The US Amateur Champion for 2023
21. The European Amateur Champion for 2024
22. The Mark H McCormack Medal (Men’s World Amateur Golf Ranking) winner for 2023
23. The Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion 2023
24. The Latin America Amateur Champion 2024
25. The Open Amateur Series winner 2024
26. The Africa Amateur Champion 2024
27. Medical Exemption
Exemptions 19-26 can only be taken up by players retaining their amateur status.

Open Qualifying Series Events 2024

OQS South Africa – Joburg Open
OQS Australia – ISPS Handa Australian Open
OQS USA – Arnold Palmer Invitational
OQS Malaysia – IRS Prima Malaysian Open
OQS Japan – Mizuno Open
OQS Canada – RBC Canadian Open
OQS USA – the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday
OQS Korea – KOLON Korea Open
OQS Netherlands – KLM Open
OQS Italy – Italian Open
OQS USA – John Deere Classic
OQS Scotland – Genesis Scottish Open

Final Qualifying – Burnham & Berrow
Final Qualifying – Dundonald Links
Final Qualifying – Royal Cinque Ports
Final Qualifying – West Lancashire

If a golfer who earns a qualifying place through an Open Qualifying Series event before the closing date for entries then becomes exempt under one or more other categories, that qualifying place will be awarded to the next best-placed non-exempt golfer at that qualifying event.

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