The Amateurs At The 2026 Open Championship

Monday 13th July 2026

Introduction

156 players from 28 countries will contest the 154th Open Championship which will be played at Royal Birkdale G.C. in England on 16-19 July 2026.

10 amateurs are in the field this week. Encouragingly for them the two best performances by amateurs in The Open in the last 65 stagings both came at Royal Birkdale; Justin ROSE (ENG) finished tied 4th in 1998 and Chris WOOD (ENG) finished tied 5th in 2008.

The course will play to 7,223 yards and a par of 70. This makes it the 15th longest course in Open history but the longest ever played to a par of 70.

The competition will be decided by stroke play over 72 holes. An aggregate four hole play-off will be used to break any ties for 1st place.

The 70 lowest scores over the first 36 holes, and ties for 70th place, will advance to the final two rounds over the weekend.

The Silver Medal is awarded to the leading amateur in The Open Championship who completes 72 holes.

I will be updating this article with daily amateur reports when the Championship gets underway.

Amateurs In The Field

Ten amateurs are competing in 2026, one more than last year at Royal Portrush and five more than played at Royal Birkdale in 2017. These are:-

Jack BUCHANAN (RSA), 21, d.o.b. 20th January 2005, WAGR #88 – 2026 African Amateur Champion
Caddie – Kolton Lapa (Mississippi State Men’s Head Coach)

Alejandro DE CASTRO PIERA (ESP), 21, d.o.b. 9th December 2004, WAGR #52 – FQ Burnham & Berrow (WAGR Leading 8 Entries #78)
Caddie – Bruno Marti Jimenez (Spanish amateur golfer) 

Stuart GREHAN (IRL), 33, d.o.b. 30th December 1992, WAGR #19 – 2026 Amateur Champion
Caddie – Greg Milne (Irish caddie)

Lev GRINBERG (FRA), 18, d.o.b. 17th November 2007, WAGR #40 – 2026 Open Amateur Series* Winner
Caddie – Joshua Broadwell (English caddie)

David HOWARD (IRL), 27, d.o.b. 5th May 1999, WAGR #1,441 – The Island RQ Res. 5 after Play-Off / FQ Dundonald Links
Caddie – John Howard (father)

Mason HOWELL (USA), 19, d.o.b. 27th June 2007, WAGR #54 – 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship. Howell is the first winner of the US Amateur to use his exemption for The Open since Gunn Yang in 2015.
Caddie – Jimmy Gillam (professional at Glen Arven C.C., Georgia)

Pongsapak ‘Fifa’ LAOPAKDEE (THA), 21, d.o.b. 2nd March 2005, WAGR #23 – 2025 Asia-Pacific Champion
Caddie – Kyle Roadley (Australian caddie)

Mateo PULCINI (ARG), 25, d.o.b. 30th August 2000, WAGR #78 – 2026 Latin America Amateur Champion
Caddie – Clodomiro Carranza (Argentine pro)

Nevill RUITER (NED), 24, d.o.b. 15th March 2002, WAGR #126 – FQ Dundonald Links (European Amateur ’26 Top 4)
Caddie – Reinier  Saxton (Amateur champion 2008)

Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER), 21, d.o.b. 14th January 2005, WAGR #10 – 2026 European Amateur Champion
Caddie – James Vargas (Texas TechMen’s Associate Coach)

*The Open Championship Amateur Series was introduced by The R&A in 2023. It offers an exemption to the player who gains the most WAGR points in the St. Andrews Links Trophy, the Amateur Championship and the European Amateur Championship events (as long as they didn’t win the Amateur or European Amateur Championships which meant they were already exempt).

The 2026 Amateur Competitors (Photo: The Open)

In total seven winners of The Amateur Championship are competing this week. In addition to Ethan Fang (2025) there is Sergio Garcia (1998), Julien Guerrier (2006), Matteo Manassero (2009), Romain Langasque (2015), Aldrich Potgieter (2022) and Jacob Skov Olesen (2024).

Round 1 & 2 Tee Times (BST)

7.41am / 12.47pm Sungjae IM (KOR) / Daniel BROWN (ENG) / Fifa LAOPAKDEE (THI)

8.03am / 1.09pm Francesco MOLINARI (ITA) / Tom MCKIBBIN (N.I.) / Lev GRINBERG (FRA)

8.25am / 1.31pm Angel AYORA (ESP) / Victor PEREZ (FRA) / Mateo PULCINI (ARG)

10.42am / 3.48pm Kazuma KOBORI (NZL) / Tom SLOMAN (ENG) / David HOWARD (IRL)

11.15am / 4.21pm Jeongwoo HAM (KOR) / Ryutaro NAGANO (JAP) / Alejandro DE CASTRO PIERA (ESP)

12.14pm / 7.08am Cameron SMITH (AUS) / Keith MITCHELL (USA) / Stuart GREHAN (IRL)

1.31pm / 8.25am Tom KIM (KOR) / Billy HORSCHEL (USA) / Mason HOWELL (USA)

1.53pm / 8.47am Aldrich POTGIETER (RSA) / Jasper SVENSSON (SWE) / Jack BUCHANAN (RSA)

3.26pm / 10.20am Jacob BRIDGEMAN (USA) / Rasmus NEERGAARD-PETERSEN (DEN) / Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER)

4.21pm / 11.15am Kazuki HIGA (JAP) / Jiho YANG (KOR) / Nevill RUITER (NED)

Click here to view all of the – 2026 Open Round 1 & 2 Tee Times

Click here to view the – 2026 Open Championship Leaderboard

Low Amateur Silver Medal

Since 1949 the Silver Medal has been awarded to the leading amateur in The Open Championship who completes 72 holes. Bronze Medals are awarded to all other amateurs who complete 72 holes.

The Open has been staged at Royal Birkdale on ten occasisions, the last time being in 2017. Alfie PLANT (ENG) won the Silver Medal nine years ago when he finished tied 62nd on +6.

The Silver Medal has been awarded eight out of the ten times The Open has been staged at Royal Birkdale – in 1976 and 1983 no amateurs made the cut.

Royal Birkdale Silver Medal Winners (Table: The Open)

Calum SCOTT (SCO), 20 at the time, was the last player to win the low amateur prize when he finished tied 43rd at the 2024 Open at Royal Troon.

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Calum Scott – Winner of the 2024 Silver Medal (Photo: Luke Walker / R&A / R&A via Getty Images)

For more information on this prize please take a look at my article – The Open Championship’s Silver Medal.

Additional Information

Click here to view the official – 2026 Open Championship Website

2026 Qualifying

Three players came through both Regional and Final Qualifying this year, namely, Tiger Christensen (GER) Pro [RQ Minchinhampton / FQ West Lancashire], David HOWARD (IRL) Am [RQ  The Island 5th Res. / FQ Dundonald] and Tom Sloman (ENG) Pro [RQ Ferndown / FQ Burnham & Berrow].

Click here to view my article on – The Open Championship – 2026 Regional, Final & Last Chance Qualifying

Click here to view the official – Open Championship Website (Final Qualifying)

Click here to view the official – Open Championship Website (Regional Qualifying)

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2026, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The Masters – 2026 Amateur Preview & Results

13th April 2026

Results

Rory McILROY (NIR) finished on 276 (-12) to become the fourth player in Masters history to win consecutive green jackets. He joins Jack Nicklaus (1965–66), Nick Faldo (1989–90), and Tiger Woods (2001–02). It was his sixth major title, tieing Faldo for the most by a European player in the modern era, and his 30th PGA Tour victory.

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No amateur made the cut so no Silver Cup was awarded at The 90th Masters.

54 players made the 36 hole top 50 and ties cut which fell at 148 (+4). 

Ethan FANG (USA) and Jackson HERRINGTON (USA) were the leading amateurs, both finishing their 36 holes on 152 (+8).

Round 2 Amateur Leaderboard (Graphic: The Masters)

ME.

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8th April 2025

The 89th Masters will take place at Augusta National G.C. this week between Thursday 10th and Sunday 13th April.

A field of 95 players will be competing, six more than last year.

Five amateurs will be playing, the same number as last year.

The primary goal for each amateur is to make the 36 hole cut and if they achieve that to then go on and win the low amateur Silver Cup.

I will be updating this article with amateur scoring information and reports as the tournament unfolds.

Click here to view the – 2025 Masters Final Results

8th April 2026

The 90th Masters will take place at Augusta National G.C. this week between Thursday 9th and Sunday 12th April.

A field of 91 players will be competing, four less than last year.

Six amateurs will be playing, one more than in 2025.

The primary goal for each amateur is to make the 36 hole cut and if they achieve that to then go on and win the low amateur Silver Cup.

I will be updating this article with amateur scoring information and reports as the tournament unfolds.

Click here to view the – 2026 Masters Leaderboard

The 2026 Masters Journal

2026 Amateur Player Biographies

The legacy of Bobby Jones, the co-founder of the tournament and a lifelong amateur (at least during his competitive years), means The Masters has always found a place for the world’s leading amateurs.

This year’s intake will see the total number of amateurs to have played in The Masters rise to 470.

The six amateurs competing at The Masters in 2026 are: –

ETHAN FANG (USA), 20 – winner of the 2025 Amateur Championship
Fang, now a junior at Oklahoma State University, beat Gavin Tiernan (IRL) by 1 Hole at Royal St. George’s in the Final of The Amateur.
WAGR #7 (08/04/26) 
Top Amateur Odds – 11/4 (2nd)

JACKSON HERRINGTON (USA), 19 – runner-up at the 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship
Left-handed Herrington, a sophomore at the University of Tennessee, lost by 7&6 to Mason Howell in the U.S. Amateur Final last year but at least secured an exemption to The Masters.
WAGR #102 (08/04/26) 
Top Amateur Odds – 13/2 (4th)

BRANDON HOLTZ (USA), 39 – winner of the 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship
Holtz, a re-instated amateur in 2023 after a short pro career, secured the Mid-Amateur title with a 3&2 victory over Jen Coughlin III at Troon C.C. in Arizona.
WAGR #3,267 (08/04/26) 
Top Amateur Odds – 13/2 (6th)

MASON HOWELL (USA), 18 – winner of the 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship
Howell became the third youngest U.S. Amateur champion at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.
WAGR #78 (08/04/26) 
Top Amateur Odds – 9/4 (1st)

PONGSAPAK ‘FIFA’ LAOPAKDEE (THA), 21 – winner of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
Laopakdee birdied his final two regulation holes to force a play-off with Japan’s Taisei Nagasaki before then birdieing all three sudden death play-off holes to claim a famous win. He will become the first player from Thailand to compete in The Masters.
WAGR #24 (08/04/26) 
Top Amateur Odds – 10/3 (3rd)

MATEO PULCINI (ARG), 25 – winner for he 2026 Latin America Amateur Championship.
Pulcini secured his place at Augusta as recently as January with a play-off victory in Peru.
WAGR #112 (08/04/26) 
Top Amateur Odds – 10/1 (5th)

U.S. and Amateur champions also receive non-playing honorary invitations which mean they are invited to attend The Masters every year for the rest of their lives.

Michael La Sasso (USA), 22, the 2025 NCAA Division I Individual champion, turned pro in January 2026 and joined the LIV Golf League, thus foregoing his exemption to The Masters.

Many commentators were disappointed not to see in form WAGR #1 Jackson Koivun (USA) given a special exemption this year. 

In his 2026 pre-tournament press conference Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley confirmed that the organisers had flexibility when it came to amateur competitors and that new exemptions and special invitations, such as the one given to Gordon Sargent (USA) in 2023, were not out of the question in the coming years.  

2026 Amateur Tee Times (GMT +5hrs)

By tradition the reigning U.S. Amateur champion is always paired with the reigning Masters champion.

Round 1

Group 4 – 8.14am EDT / 1.14pm BST – Angel Cabreras (ARG), Sami Valimaki (FIN) & Jackson HERRINGTON (USA)

Group 8 – 9.02am EDT / 2.02pm BST – Bubba Watson (USA), Nicholas Echavarria (COL) & Brandon HOLTZ (USA)

Group 15 – 10.31am EDT / 3.31pm BST – Rory McIlroy (NIR), Cameron Young (USA) & Mason HOWELL (USA)

Group 19 – 11.27am EDT / 4.27pm BST – Mike Weir (CAN), Wyndham Clark (USA) & Mateo PULCINI (ARG)

Group 21 – 11.51pm EDT / 4.51pm BST – Danny Willett (ENG), Davis Riley (USA) & Ethan FANG (USA)

Group 23 – 12.15pm EDT / 5.15pm BST – Fred Couples (USA), Min Woo Lee (AUS) & Fifa LAOPAKDEE (THA)

Round 2

Group 3 – 8.02am EDT / 1.02pm BST – Mike Weir (CAN), Wyndham Clark (USA) & Mateo PULCINI (ARG)

Group 5 – 8.26am EDT / 1.26pm BST – Danny Willett (ENG), Davis Riley (USA) & Ethan FANG (USA)

Group 7 – 8.50 m EDT / 1.50pm BST – Fred Couples (USA), Min Woo Lee (AUS) & Fifa LAOPAKDEE (THA)

Group 19 – 11.27am EDT / 4.27pm BST – Angel Cabreras (ARG), Sami Valimaki (FIN) & Jackson HERRINGTON (USA)

Group 23 – 12.15am EDT / 5.15pm BST – Bubba Watson (USA), Nicholas Echavarria (COL) & Brandon HOLTZ (USA)

Group 30 – 1.44pm EDT / 6.44pm BST – Rory McIlroy (NIR), Cameron Young (USA) & Mason HOWELL (USA)

Click here to view all of the – 2026 Masters Tee Times

Amateur Perks

Only amateur competitors are permitted to stay in the Crow’s Nest accommodation in the clubhouse. Most of them normally spend at least one night there during Masters week.  

The Amateur Dinner, hosted by chairman Fred Ridley and normally attended by around between 50-100 guests, was held in The Founders Room on the evening of Monday 6th April. The Captain of The R&A, President of the USGA, a former amateur participant and an amateur contestant from this year normally speak.

Jackson Herrington, Fifa Laopakdee, Ethan Fang, Chairman Fred Ridley, Mateo Pulcini, Brandon Holtz and Mason Howell (Photo: Chris Turvey / Augusta National G.C.)

2025 Masters – Amateur Performances

No amateur made the cut so no Silver Cup was awarded at The 89th Masters.

53 players made the 36 hole top 50 and ties cut which fell at 146 (+2). 

The average field score in Round 1 was 73.59 which fell to 72.67 in Round 2.

Round 2 Amateur Leaderboard (Graphic: The Masters)

Justin HASTINGS (CAY) produced the best overall performance helped by the lowest round by an amateur; an even par 72 on Day 2.

Justin Hastings Scorecard – 148 +4 Tied 59th (Graphic: The Masters) 

Hiroshi TAI (SGP) led the five amateurs after the opening round on +1 but was unable to follow it up on Day 2.

Mid-Amateur Evan BECK (USA) enjoyed five birdies over his 36 holes but these were mixed up with far too many dropped shots.

The favourite for the Silver Cup Jose Luis BALLESTER (ESP) got off to a poor start on Thursday and fell away badly on the back nine in Round 2.

Noah BECK (USA) shot the worst amateur total score but enjoyed a rollercoaster ride whilst doing it. Four birdies and an eagle on the 13th in Round 2 were his highlights.

Click here to view the – 2025 Masters Final Results

The Masters – Amateur Playing Records

For more information on amateur performances at The Masters please take a look at this companion article – The Masters – Amateur Records.

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2026, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.