Here are the 28 different ways to qualify for a British Open exemption (before the final qualifying)

Getting an invitation to the British Open is quite an accomplishment. It means you've done something special in men's golf, garnering an opportunity to play in the national championship in the United States.

While the British Open is a major tournament, the R&A determines who gets invited at their sole discretion, there are 28 different ways a golfer can earn an invitation to the British Open. (And then there's final qualifying, which determines 16 spots in the field.)

The best way to earn a British Open invitation is to win the British Open. British Open tournament winners earn a nearly lifetime exemption into the event to age 55, which is a change instituted this year.

The next best way to earn a British Open invitation is to win one of the other three major championships. Winners of a major championship get invited to the other three majors for five years after winning, meaning a guaranteed 20 consecutive major starts after taking a major title. While not on the level of a major, The Players Championship is a huge tournament, and winners of the PGA Tour's crown jewel get a three-year exemption across the majors.

After those three ways, all the other paths to a British Open invitation come with one-time invites that have to be earned back the next year. The qualification criteria range from winning or getting to the final of a prestigious amateur event, to winning on the PGA Tour multiple times, to reaching the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking by certain cutoff dates.

Then, the British Open could always simply choose to invite who they would like, which they do from time to time. There are currently no exemptions specific to LIV Golf players.

If a player satisfies multiple criteria to earn a British Open invitation, they don't get multiple years' worth of invitations, just an invite under the criteria with the greatest weight and longest counting period.

The 15 different ways to qualify for a British Open invitation

1. Former winners of the British Open under age 60 on July 21, 2024
2. Former winners of the British Open (from 2024 onward) under age 55 on July 21, 2024
3. Winners of the British Open in the last 10 years
4. Top 10 finishers and ties in the 2023 Open Championship
5. Top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) for Week 21, 2024
6. Top 30 on the 2023 Race to Dubai
7. Last three BMW PGA Championship winners:
8. Top 5 players, not already exempt, within the top 20 of the 2024 Race to Dubai through the BMW International Open
9. Last six U.S. Open winners
10. Last six Masters Tournament winners
11. Last six Championship winners
12. Last three Players Championship winners
13. The 30 qualifiers for the 2023 Tour Championship
14. Top 5 players, not already exempt, within the top 20 of the 2024 FedEx Cup points list through the Travelers Championship
15. Winner of the 2023 Japan Open/li>
16. Winner of the 2023 Senior Open Championship
17. Winner of the 2024 Amateur Championship
18. Winner of the 2023 U.S. Amateur
19. Winners of the 2024 European Amateur
20. Recipient of the 2023 Mark H. McCormack Medal
21. Winner of the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
22. Winner of the 2024 Latin America Amateur Championship
23. Winner of the 2024 Open Amateur Series
24. Winner of the 2024 Africa Amateur Championship
25. Medical exemptions

Open Qualifying Series

• Nov 26 -- Joburg Open
• Dec 3 -- ISPS Handa Australian Open
• Feb 18 -- IRS Prima Malaysian Open
• March 10 -- Arnold Palmer Invitational
• May 26 -- Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open
• June 2 -- RBC Canadian Open
• June 9 -- Memorial Tournament
• June 23 -- Kolon Korea Open
• June 23 -- KLM Open
• June 30 -- Italian Open
• July 7 -- John Deere Classic
• July 14 -- Genesis Scottish Open

Final Open Qualifying

• Burnham and Berrow
• Dundonald Links
• Royal Cinque Ports
• West Lancashire