Qualification updated for 2026 Masters: National-open winners in, PGA Tour fall winners out

The Masters has updated its qualification criteria to include winners of several national opens while eliminating exemptions for winners of PGA Tour fall events.

The new list of pathways into the Masters, starting with the 2026 edition, was announced Tuesday by Augusta National Golf Club in conjunction with the R&A. The six national opens that will see their winners awarded with a Masters invite are: Scottish Open (PGA Tour/DPWT), Spanish Open (DPWT), Japan Open (Japan Tour), Hong Kong Open (Asian Tour), Australian Open (DPWT) and South African Open (DPWT).

The move gives the Masters its own version of the Open Qualifying Series, in place since 2013.

“The Masters Tournament has long recognized the significance of having international representation among its invitees,” said Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament. “We, along with the R&A, have a shared commitment to the global game and are proud to work together. Today’s announcement strengthens our organizations’ collective vision of rewarding top talent around the world who rise to the top of historic national open championships. We hope this formal recognition shines a bright light on these players and the events they will represent at the Masters and The Open, beginning next year.”

Now, for the other change.

The PGA Tour moved to its new FedExCup fall model last year, with those eight tournaments, starting with the Procore Championship and ending with the RSM Classic, serving as the final opportunities for members to secure their cards for the following season. Previously, the fall events kicked off the PGA Tour’s now-defunct wraparound season.

Last year’s Masters qualification list included, “Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation from previous Masters to current Masters.” That included the fall tournaments.

Now, though, that line reads, “Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation applied to the season-ending Tour Championship.”

That includes winners of The Sentry through the BMW Championship, not including opposite-field events. The winner at East Lake will have already qualified by virtue of getting into the 30-man Tour Championship field.