In the run-up to the U.S. Open, the USGA—with a large assist from Golf Channel—has done an impressive job of promoting “Golf’s Longest Day” as a celebration of golf meritocracy, where players at all stations of their careers can earn their way into the national championship. This past year, 47 golfers claimed spots from 10 different Final Qualifying sites to compete at Oakmont, with fairytale stories such as amateur Matt Vogt, a former caddie at the famed club turned dentist, grabbing a spot in the field.
The R&A might not have the catchy moniker, but it does have its own equivalent of “GLD” to help fill out the field for the Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Four 36-hole Final Qualifying tournaments will be held next Tuesday (July 1), with the top five finishers in each grabbing a tee time in Northern Ireland.
The four locations are Burnham & Berrow, Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancashire in England and Dundonald Links in Scotland, with a total 220 players trying to claim the 20 invites. And those players include a few notable names, some surprisingly having yet to qualify to play in the Open.
RELATED: Tee Times for all four Open Final Qualifying sites
Ian Poulter/Luke Poulter
The father/son duo both tried to play their way into the U.S. Open at Oakmont but couldn’t get through Final Qualifying; Luke, a college golfer at Florida, missed out in a playoff. Ian was runner-up at the Open in 2008, one of three top-10 finishes in 20 career Open starts, the last coming in 2022.
Graeme McDowell 
Icon Sportswire
The Northern Irishman has obvious incentive with Portush hosting the Open of playing his way into the field. He was in the field when it hosted the 2019 Open, finishing T-57. McDowell hasn’t played in any major since 2020.
Danny Willett
Until missing last year’s Open at Royal Troon, the 2016 Masters champion had played in 10 straight Opens with two top-10 finishes, including a T-6 at Portrush in 2019.
Lee Westwood 
Mike Stobe/LIV Golf
The 52-year-old former World No. 1 has played in 27 Opens, finishing finished T-4 in the 2019 at Portrush. That was the last one of his five top-five showings in golf’s oldest major.
Branden Grace
The South African holds the record for lowest 18-hole score in the Open after shooting a 62 at Royal Birkdale in 2017.
The Englishman doesn’t have the pedigree of the previous names—he’s still searching for his first DP World Tour win—but he’s got plenty of successful experience playing his way into the Open, having advanced via Final Qualifying on five different occasions.
Peter Finch
The influencer has 740,000 followers on YouTube, showcasing course vlogs, golf challenges and match-ups with pros. He impressed those fans by advancing out of Regional Qualifying into the Final stage.
Regional Qualifying Video out today 6pm BST on YouTube….it’s emotional pic.twitter.com/KI1D4oqNRB
— Peter Finch (@PeterFinchGolf) June 26, 2025
The R&A will track all the action at the four sites via live blog on The Open website (www.theopen.com). Final Qualifying Radio will also broadcast the finish at the four sites and can be heard in the U.S. on The Open App and R&A TV.
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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com