The winner of the Spanish Open presented by Madrid, which takes place at the Villa de Madrid Country Club between October 9 and 12, will receive an invitation to compete in the Masters Tournament and the British Open, a privilege obtained after the historic agreement promoted by Augusta National Golf Club and the R&A.

This decision, which also extends to the winners of five other national Opens of enormous tradition and prestige - such as the South African Open, the Australian Open, the Japanese Open, the Hong Kong Open and the Scottish Open - aims to provide both the Masters at Augusta and the British Open with the presence of renowned international golfers who will further increase the aura of mystique surrounding these two 'Majors', undisputed benchmarks within the world of golf.

The initiative significantly increases the already high level of interest in the Open de España presented by Madrid, contributing in the short, medium and long term to an increasingly prestigious and high-quality roster of players. 

Both Augusta National Golf Club and the R&A have positively assessed the agreement based on the experience accumulated by both organizations in establishing qualification mechanisms parallel to the World Ranking, guaranteeing in both cases accredited access routes that further raise the quality of both tournaments to increase the solidity of elite professional golf.

“The Masters Tournament has long recognized the importance of having international representation among its guests,” said Fred Ridley, president of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament. 

“We, along with the R&A, share a commitment to global golf and are proud to work together. This announcement reinforces both organizations” intention to reward the best golfers around the world, including those who triumph in the most prestigious national Opens. We want this formal recognition to highlight these players and the events in which they qualify for the Masters and the British Open from 2026 onwards,” said Fred Ridley.

The British Open Qualifying Stage has been running since 2013 and offers players access to The Open through prestigious events. Specifically, golfers can now qualify for the 154th British Open at Royal Birkdale through 15 events held in 13 different countries.

Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, stated, “We are proud of the variety of qualifying routes we offer to players from around the world through The Open Qualifying Series. We share the same objective as Augusta National of providing places in both The Open and The Masters to players competing in national open tournaments, thereby contributing to the spread and strengthening of our sport in those countries, and enriching the quality of participants in both major events.”.

SOURCE: Tournament Organization