2020-21 Qualifiers for majors, THE PLAYERS, WGCs

UPDATE (May 17): Citing a back injury, Vijay Singh has withdrawn from the PGA Championship. Wyndham Clark has replaced him in the field of 156. Brandon Hagy now is first alternate.

Earlier on Monday, the R&A announced that Local Final Qualifying for The Open Championship would be expanded to the traditional 12 spots. A modification to limit it to eight previously was approved due to the pandemic. (The tournament was canceled in 2020.) Three golfers from each of four sites on June 29 will punch their tickets into the final major of the 2020-21 season. Additionally, the top two, not otherwise exempt into The Open, at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open on July 11 will complete the field of 156 at Royal St. George’s.

On Friday, May 14, the USGA announced that Phil Mickelson has accepted a special exemption to compete in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in June. Of course, it’s the only major that the World Golf Hall of Famer hasn’t won. This will mark his 30th appearance. The tournament is scheduled to begin on June 17, the day after Mickelson’s 51st birthday.

While it’s more dramatic when it happens at the buzzer, every PGA TOUR victory counts the same when it concerns gaining entry into the PGA Championship.

When K.H. Lee awoke on Sunday morning, he sat in second place at the AT&T Byron Nelson and one stroke back of 54-hole leader Sam Burns. Lee also was positioned as third alternate for this week’s PGA Championship.

After a gutty performance amid a disjointed day due to inclement weather, Lee posted 25-under 263 and prevailed by three strokes (over Burns) at TPC Craig Ranch. Like Burns just two weeks prior, Lee is a first-time winner on the PGA TOUR, but he’s also the last man in the field of 156 at Kiawah Island.

Unlike Burns, who finished T29 in the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage, Lee will be making his debut in the major. Sunday’s win also secured an exemption into the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. It will mark his first start in a WGC for the 29-year-old native of South Korea.

In addition to fully exempt status on the PGA TOUR through 2022-23, Lee has locked up appearances at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, THE PLAYERS Championship and the Masters in 2022, among numerous other automatic exemptions.

Earlier on Sunday, Rikuya Hoshino won the Asia Pacific Diamond Cup in Japan to snare an exemption into The Open Championship in July. In his only career start in a major, he missed the cut at the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

The fifth career win on his home circuit vaults Hoshino into the top slot on the Japan Golf Tour’s money list. With Takumi Kanaya ranked second and Chan Kim at third, each of the top three is exempt into the PGA Championship.

If Hoshino doesn’t qualify for the U.S. Open prior to sectional qualifying, the 25-year-old will remain in the U.S. for that 36-hole competition.

NOTE: Golfers are omitted if they recently haven’t competed in majors for which they are eligible (e.g. PGA Championship=David Toms; The Open Championship=Justin Leonard).

PGA = PGA Championship
US = U.S. Open
OPEN = The Open Championship
SJI = WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational

Recent Additions
PGA -- Wyndham Clark; K.H. Lee
US -- Phil Mickelson
OPEN -- Rikuya Hoshino
SJI -- K.H. Lee

REMAINING QUALIFYING CRITERIA

Criteria are listed in chronological order where possible. Best estimates are given but all are subject to change.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP (PGA) @ The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort – May 20-23
• Field is complete.

U.S. OPEN (US) @ Torrey Pines Golf Course (South) – June 17-20
• Winners of multiple PGA TOUR events that award full FedExCup points allocation since the originally scheduled 2020 U.S. Open (June 18-21, 2020).
• Winner of the PGA Championship (May 23).
• Top 60 from Official World Golf Ranking (May 24).
• Sectional qualifying at one site in Dallas (May 24).
• Sectional qualifying at one site in Japan (May 24).
• Top 10 in Race to Dubai points, not otherwise exempt, from three-event series consisting of the Betfred British Masters (May 15), Made in HimmerLand (May 30) and Porsche European Open (June 6).
• Top 60 from Official World Golf Ranking (June 7).
• Sectional qualifying at one site in Canada and eight sites in the United States (June 7).
• Special exemptions per the USGA.

THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (OPEN) @ Royal St. George's Golf Club – July 15-18
• Winner of the PGA Championship (May 23).
• Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (May 24).
• Top 2, not otherwise exempt, at The Mizuno Open (May 30).
• Winner of British Amateur, if still an amateur (June 19).
• Winner of U.S. Open (June 20).
• Winner of the European Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (June 26).
• Top 5 and ties, not otherwise exempt, inside Top 20 in Race to Dubai thru the BMW International Open (June 27).
• Top 5 and ties, not otherwise exempt, inside Top 20 in FedExCup points thru the Travelers Championship (June 27).
• Minimum of 12 spots (3 at each of four sites) via Local Final Qualifying (June 29).
• Top 2, not otherwise exempt, at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open (July 11).

WGC-FEDEX ST. JUDE INVITATIONAL (SJI) @ TPC Southwind – Aug. 5-8
• Winners of official tournaments from the Federation Tours with an Official World Golf Ranking strength-of-field rating of 115 points or more.
• Winner of Japan Golf Tour Championship (June 6).
• Order of Merit leader on the Asian Tour (July 12).
• Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (July 26).
• Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (Aug. 2).

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