Two amateurs punch their Open tickets as Final Qualifying sets the Birkdale field

The dream came down to a single round, and for two amateurs it ended exactly the way they’d hoped. Final Qualifying for the 154th Open played out across four venues on Tuesday — Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald, Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancashire — with a starting field of 288 chasing five places apiece. When the wind finally settled, 20 players had booked passage to Royal Birkdale, and amateurs David Howard and Alejandro De Castro Piera were among them.

Both had been in the conversation through the afternoon, and both held on. Howard tied for fourth at Dundonald, while De Castro Piera weathered toughening conditions at Burnham & Berrow to finish inside the number. They will follow Stuart Grehan — the newly crowned Amateur champion — into the field at golf’s original championship.

Burnham & Berrow

American James Nicholas overcame four seasons in an afternoon to top the leaderboard at ten under, backing a bogey-free 65 with a 67 to finish a shot clear of fellow debutant Caleb Surratt. Home favourite Tom Sloman used his course knowledge for a closing 65, and De Castro Piera secured his major debut after pairing an opening 65 with a 69 to reach eight under. Austen Truslow completed the qualifiers.

Dundonald

Lightning struck twice for Jack McDonald, who led the Dundonald qualifiers at five under to repeat his 2024 feat at the Ayrshire links. Matthew Baldwin earned a homecoming to Birkdale, just miles from his door, tying at four under with East of Ireland champion David Howard. The Irish amateur grabbed one of the spots alongside Dutch amateur Nevill Ruiter and American Marcus Plunkett, both bound for their major debuts.

Royal Cinque Ports

South African MJ Daffue shared top honours with Norway’s Baard Bjoernevik Skogen at 12 under, Daffue lighting up Deal with back-to-back eagles on the 6th and 7th. Skogen, ranked 771st in the world, made just one bogey across 36 holes. Matthew Southgate came through Final Qualifying for a remarkable sixth time, Peter Uihlein qualified for a second straight year, and Antoine Rozner closed with three consecutive birdies to sneak in on the number.

West Lancashire

Sam Bairstow led the way at West Lancs with a ten-under 134, returning to the Open for the first time since St Andrews in 2022. New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori, Germany’s Tiger Christensen and Spain’s Jose Luis Ballester Barrio shared second at nine under. The final place went to local favourite Matthew Jordan, who stuck his approach to two feet on the second play-off hole and made birdie to edge Joe Dean and amateur Sam Easterbrook.

* Jordan qualified at the second play-off hole with a birdie three.

The 154th Open will be played at Royal Birkdale from 12–19 July 2026. For Howard and De Castro Piera, the long road through Regional and Final Qualifying ends with the prize they were chasing: a tee time at golf’s oldest major, earned the hardest way there is.