Masters Excludes South Korea

Automatic Invitations for National Title Winners from Six Countries
Japan and Hong Kong Included, South Korea's International Negotiating Power Questioned

South Korea has been excluded.

On August 26 (local time), Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the Masters, and the R&A, which organizes The Open, jointly announced changes to next year's qualification system. According to their statement, winners of national title tournaments in six countries will be granted entry to both the Masters and The Open. The national title winners from Scotland, Spain, Japan, Hong Kong, South Africa, and Australia will receive invitations to compete in the Masters and The Open.

Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the Masters. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

It is disappointing that the Korea Open was left out among the national title tournaments that now grant automatic qualification for the Masters. Some point out that this reveals a weakness in South Korea's international negotiating power in golf.

The main point of the new qualification system is to grant automatic Masters invitations to winners of national title tournaments in these six countries. Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, stated, "The Masters has long recognized the importance of achieving international representation," adding, "This is a way to acknowledge the world's best players who have triumphed in historic national title tournaments."

This means that the Masters has adopted a system similar to the one The R&A introduced in 2013, which allows national title winners from various countries to compete in The Open. Until now, the Masters only granted invitations to winners of PGA Tour events in the United States. However, the Masters has decided not to offer invitations to winners of the PGA Tour's fall series events, as top players rarely participate in those tournaments.