The Asian Tour’s membership will have an outstanding opportunity to qualify for The Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland this summer, after The R&A confirmed this week that three events on the Tour will form part of the Open Qualifying Series.
In an exciting development, both the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport and the International Series Macau presented by Wynn have been added to the Series for the first time, while the Kolon Korea Open returns having been a regular since 2018.
A total of 15 events, in 11 nations, make up the Series – helping to ensure The Open is truly a global tournament.
New Zealand’s National Open will tee off in just over two weeks, at Millbrook Golf Resort in Queenstown, from February 27 – March 2, and will be the first opportunity this year for players to earn a starting berth at The Open, which is being played from July 17-20. The leading non-exempt player will earn a spot in what will be the fourth Major of the year.
The International Series Macau presented by Wynn, being played at Macau Golf and Country Club, is the ensuing event on Tour, and will be held from March 20-23. It will mark the first time an event on The International Series has been part of the Open Qualifying Series. The leading non-exempt player will qualify for The Open at the Kolon Korea Open – which will tee off from May 22-25 at Dunes Course, La Vie Est Belle in Chuncheon, Korea.
Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour, said: “We thank The R&A for our continued involvement with the Open Qualifying Series, and the ongoing strengthening of our partnership. This will give our members a great chance of playing in The Open, which is the goal of every professional golfer.
“John Catlin, our 2024 Order of Merit champion, qualified for The Open last year through the Open Qualifying Series and duly finished joint 16th – his best finish in a Major. The Series helps to shine a light on the Asian Tour’s talent pool, particularly its diversity and youthfulness, while contributing to our growing stature.”
The Asian Tour is an affiliate member of The R&A, a relationship that led to the launch of the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A in Cambodia last year on the Asian Development Tour.
Mark Darbon, Chief Executive at The R&A, said: “We are proud to offer a wide range of opportunities to qualify globally and look forward to seeing which golfers will emerge to take their place at Royal Portrush in July.”
Regional and Final Qualifying events, which are open to professional and amateur golfer worldwide which have also been popular with Asian Tour members, will take place at venues around Great Britain and Ireland in June and July ahead of the Championship.
