National Opens now provide an even bigger incentive for LIV Golf players this offseason

The recent announcement by Augusta National that select national opens will include an exemption into next year’s Masters to tournament winners obviously does not directly impact all LIV Golf players. Hopefully such a pathway based on the league’s own results will be created as LIV Golf – just four seasons old after the completion of the 2025 season at last month’s Michigan Team Championship – continues to grow and thrive within the ecosystem of professional golf.

But for now, the Masters’ adjusted qualification criteria should increase the odds that more LIV Golf players will be in the field April 9-12 when golf’s 2026 major season kicks off.

Of the six national opens selected by Augusta National, five remain to be played before next year – Spanish Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open, Australian Open and South African Open. The sixth, the Scottish Open, was played in July, with American Chris Gotterup winning.

With the winners of those five Opens still to be decided, that’s five chances for LIV Golf players to chase a coveted Masters exemption, as well as spots in The Open Championship, which is aligning with Augusta National on the exemptions. A quick look at each one through the LIV Golf lens:

SPANISH OPEN (Oct. 9-12, 2025) – Jon Rahm has won three of the last six (and was runner-up last year) but obviously needs no Masters exemption since he’s already claimed a Green Jacket. Neither does Sergio Garcia. But young Spanish LIV Golf players such as David Puig and Josele Ballester should be extra-motivated; Puig tied for third last year while Ballester missed the cut.

JAPAN OPEN (Oct. 16-19, 2025) – Jinichiro Kozuma was the only current LIV Golf player in last year’s field; he tied for 17th. The year before, he tied for 10th. Kozuma has made just three major starts in his career, none in either the Masters or The Open. A win in Japan would get him into both.

HONG KONG OPEN (Oct. 30-Nov. 2, 2025) – As a former Masters champ, Patrick Reed doesn’t need a successful title defense in Hong Kong to get into next year’s field. But Ben Campbell, the tournament winner in 2023 and the runner-up to Reed last year, now has another incentive as he chases his first Masters start. Seven players from the 2025 LIV Golf roster competed last year in Hong Kong, the most of any of the five Opens listed here; no surprise since it’s part of The International Series that’s supported by LIV Golf. Reed and Bubba Watson have announced their intention to play this year, and both will be chasing a spot in The Open. Other league members will likely follow.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN (Dec. 4-7, 2025) – Current LIV Golf players have thrived in Australia’s national open in recent years, winning four of the past five competitions – Abraham Ancer in 2018, Matt Jones in 2019, Adrian Meronk in 2022 and Joaquin Niemann in 2023 (the tournament was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid). Cameron Smith’s Masters exemption for winning the 2022 Open still has two years left, so he’s good for next year, but his fellow Rippers Jones, Marc Leishman and Lucas Herbert could use an invite.

SOUTH AFRICAN OPEN (Feb. 26-March 1, 2026) – Three members of Stinger GC – Dean Burmester, Branden Grace and captain Louis Oosthuizen – are past champions of their national open, and each currently lacks a Masters invite. (The fourth Stinger, Charl Schwartzel, won the Masters in 2011 and would gladly enjoy some company next April.)

Although The Open Championship has yet to announce its exemptions for the 2026 Open, R&A officials indicated they will be aligned with Augusta National in terms of exemptions for the selected national opens. That’s especially good news for the Hong Kong Open, which wasn’t part of the exemption list this year.

The Australian Open, South African Open, and Scottish Open already were part of The Open Qualifying Series for 2025, and the Japan Open champion also received an exemption, so now the winner of those Opens will be able to double-dip into two majors.

“We share the same goal as Augusta National to offer places in both The Open and the Masters to players competing in national opens and by doing so to help to showcase and strengthen our sport in those regions,” said Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A.

LIV Golf players, accustomed to playing a global schedule, have shown an inclination to compete in these historic tournaments. With the added incentive of a potential trip to Augusta National next April, their participation numbers could grow. The offseason promises to be a busy one for players chasing major invites, but the reward just became substantially more intriguing.

EXEMPTIONS

Confirmed exemptions for LIV Golf players for next year’s four majors. Other exemptions will be determined via ranking, qualifiers, special invitations and other pathways based on each tournament’s qualifications. Tyrrell Hatton, for instance, is expected to receive a PGA Championship exemption based on his Ryder Cup participation this month.