Last Chance Qualifier: 12 players set to battle for one spot at Royal Birkdale

Recent PGA TOUR winner Aldrich Potgieter headlines the field for the inaugural "Last Chance Qualifier," as 12 players will face off at Royal Birkdale on Monday for the final spot in The Open.

Announced by The R&A in December among a series of enhancements intended to elevate the fan experience at The Open, the 18-hole qualifier will be conducted across the same Southport links where a champion will lift the claret jug seven days later. The 12-man field will include each of the first two alternates for the tournament, which – after the recent addition of 15 players via the Official World Golf Rankings – are world No. 77 Potgieter and No. 78 Matti Schmid.

A winner of the British Amateur in 2022 at age 17, Potgieter has played The Open twice before and will defend his maiden TOUR title at the Rocket Classic later this month. Schmid was a surprise contender at the PGA Championship, ultimately finishing T4 behind Aaron Rai at Aronimink. Per the rules created by The R&A, each of the first two alternates for the tournament must play in the qualifier in order to maintain their spot on the alternate list.

The 12-man field will feature five DP World Tour members, including four with prior Open experience. Spain’s Adri Arnaus has made three Open starts, while Angel Hidalgo and Joe Dean have each made two. England’s Andrew Wilson made his lone major start at the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush, while Denmark’s Marcus Helligkilde will look to clinch his first appearance in a major.

Former TOUR winner Wesley Bryan will also tee it up at Royal Birkdale, along with John Gough and Charles Huntzinger. Rounding out the field will be a pair of amateurs: Matt Maloney, who earned a qualifier invite thanks to his runner-up last month at The Amateur Championship, and Sam Easterbrook. Easterbrook and Dean lost in a 3-for-1 playoff at Final Qualifying, while seven other players in the qualifier field – Arnaus, Gough, Wilson, Huntzinger, Hidalgo, Bryan and Helligkilde – each missed by a single shot at their respective 36-hole qualifying site.

The players will tee off in four groups of three beginning at 7:30 a.m. BST on July 13, with a hole-by-hole playoff utilized in the event of a tie.

Importantly, the Last Chance Qualifier results will be used to build the final alternate list for tournament week. Should they fail to qualify, Potgieter and Schmid will maintain their spots as Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on the alternate list. From No. 3 onwards, the results from the qualifier will determine the alternate list, with any ties broken via OWGR standing.