The 2017 British Open Championship field offers the most opportunities to qualify for an exemption for players around the world, with 39 different ways to get into the field.
A golfer has to be one of the best on the planet to qualify for the British Open. They can get a British Open exemption if they meet one of these worldwide criteria to get an invitation.
British Open Championship qualifying and exemption categories
- Former Open champions under the age of 60 as of July 23, 2017
- The last 10 Open Championship winners
- Open champions finishing in a tie for 10th place or better from 2012-2016 Open Championship
- Top 10 finishers and ties from 2016 Open Championship
- The top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking as of Week 21 in 2017
- The top 30 in the 2016 Race to Dubai final standings
- The last three winners of the BMW PGA Championship
- First 5 European Tour members, not otherwise exempt, in the top 20 of the Race to Dubai after the 2017 BMW International Open
- The last 5 U.S. Open champions
- The last 5 Masters champions
- The last 5 PGA Champions
- The last 3 Players champions
- The 30 players to qualify for the 2016 Tour Championship
- First 5 PGA Tour members and any PGA TOUR members tying for 5th place, not already exempt, in the top 20 of the PGA Tour's 2016-17 FedExCup points list after the 2017 Travelers Championship
- The 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist in men's golf
- The 2016 Open de Argenina champion
- The 2017 Kolon Korean Open champion and runner-up
- The 2016 U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams
- The winner of the 2016 Asian Tour Order of Merit
- The winner of the 2016 Australasian Tour Order of Merit
- The winner of the 2016 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit
- The 2016 Japan Open winner
- The top two players from the 2016 Japan Tour Order of Merit
- First 2, not already exempt, in the Japan Tour Order of Merit through the 2017 Japan Tour Championship
- The 2016 Senior Open Champion
- The 2017 Amateur Champion
- The 2016 U.S. Amateur Champion
- The 2016 and 2017 European Amateur champions
- The 2016 Mark H. McCormack Medal winner
- 2017 Open Qualifying Series -- Top 3 players, not already exempt, in the top 10 from the 2016 Emirates Australian Open
- 2017 Open Qualifying Series -- Top 4 players, not already exempt, in the top 12 from the 2017 SMBC Singapore Open
- 2017 Open Qualifying Series -- Top 3 players, not already exempt, in the top 10 from the 2017 Joburg Open
- 2017 Open Qualifying Series -- Top 4 players, not already exempt, in the top 12 from the 2017 Mizuno Open
- 2017 Open Qualifying Series -- Top 3 players, not already exempt, in the top 10 from the 2017 Open de France
- 2017 Open Qualifying Series -- Top 4 players, not already exempt, in the top 12 from the 2017 Quicken Loans National
- 2017 Open Qualifying Series -- Top 3 players, not already exempt, in the top 10 from the 2017 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open
- 2017 Open Qualifying Series -- Top 4 players, not already exempt, in the top 12 from the 2017 Greenbrier Classic
- 2017 Open Qualifying Series -- Top 3 players, not already exempt, in the top 10 from the 2017 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open
- 2017 Open Qualifying Series -- Top 1 player, not already exempt, in the top 5 from the 2017 John Deere Clasic
- Final Open qualifiers from four sites
