There have been 88 different Open Championship winners, but only one man has done so after coming through Final Qualifying.
Prior to 1963, anyone who wanted to play in the Open Championship had to qualify. The 1963 event was the first time that certain golfers received exemptions – whether that be for winning The Open in previous years, other majors and other tournaments.
Qualifying would be held at two venues close to the Open venue, with a total field of 120. That has since increased to 150 and then 156 as it is today.
Today, there are plenty of different ways to qualify for The Open Championship. For those not exempt, qualifying comes in two stages.
Players can enter Regional Qualifying and advance to Final Qualifying – with several entrants moving straight through to the latter thanks to their Official World Golf Rankings.
Final Qualifying now takes place at four venues across the United Kingdom, with 20 places up for grabs in 2025 – five at each course. There are playoffs to determine which players get spots if required.
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Who was the man to come through Final Qualifying to win?
A man who wasn’t even in the Open Championship before Final Qualifying, and was ten shots back at the start of the final round of the event is our answer.
Incredibly, Paul Lawrie came through all the challenges to secure the only major championship of his lengthy career.
The Scot went through Final Qualifying ahead of the 1999 Open Championship, and made the field thanks to rounds of 71 and 69.
After 54 holes, Lawrie was 10 shots behind. A final round of 67, when everyone else around him struggled, saw him post the clubhouse lead at 6-over.
The man who led going down the 18th, Jean van der Velde, had also come through Final Qualifying that year. The Frenchman shot 67-67 at Monifieth to win on the day, and he should have gone on to win at Carnoustie.
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However, we all know what happened on the 72nd hole of the tournament..
A triple bogey on the last saw the event go into a three-man playoff. Lawrie would come through for the win thanks to playing the four holes in even par, while van der Velde and Justin Leonard were both 3-over.
It was Lawrie’s only major victory, and to this day, he remains the only man to come through Final Qualifying before going on to lift the Claret Jug. Winning The Open through Final Qualifying is clearly a tough ask.
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Will we ever see another player join Paul Lawrie to have gone through Open Final Qualifying to win? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
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