Poulter Father-Son Duo Among 300 Players Chasing Final Open Spots
Ian Poulter and his son Luke will battle for spots in The Open at Royal Portrush when final qualifying takes place Tuesday across four UK venues. They’re part of nearly 300 players competing for just 20 available spots in golf’s oldest major championship.
The qualifying format mirrors the U.S. Open’s final stage – 36 holes in a single day with five spots available at each location:
- Burnham and Berrow (Somerset, England)
- Dundonald Links (Troon, Scotland)
- Royal Cinque Ports (Deal, England)
- West Lancashire (Blundellsands, England)
The elder Poulter, who hasn’t played in The Open since 2022 but has three career top-10s in the championship, will compete alongside his son at Royal Cinque Ports. Luke, a rising senior at Florida and likely Walker Cup selection this year, has emerged as the 26th-ranked collegiate player in America after overcoming a serious back injury last season.
If both Poulters somehow qualified, they’d be chasing rare company. Only two father-son duos have ever won Open titles – Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, plus Willie Park Sr. and Willie Park Jr.
Poulter is just one of 14 full-time LIV Golf members attempting to qualify. The others include Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, Dean Burmester, Adrian Meronk, and Harold Varner III. Sergio Garcia, however, won’t need to qualify – he earned his Open spot by finishing as the top-ranked LIV player (not already exempt) in their points standings, narrowly edging David Puig.
Notable Players at Each Qualifying Site
Burnham and Berrow features Harry Hall, the highest-ranked player (world No. 73) in any qualifier. He’s joined by former British Amateur champions Harry Ellis and Jacob Skov Olesen. LIV’s Caleb Surratt, Anirban Lahiri and Jinichiro Kozuma (fresh off a T2 at LIV Dallas) will also compete here.
England’s Dan Brown, who led last year’s Open at Troon after a first-round 65 before finishing T10, is looking to return. Chris Wood, the former Ryder Cupper who was low amateur at the 2008 Open, is seeking his first Open appearance since 2019 after battling injuries, anxiety and burnout. He recently showed promising form with his first DPWT top-10 in seven years.
Dundonald Links will host former Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood and Jamie Donaldson, along with LIV’s Adrian Meronk. The field includes several potential and former Walker Cup players, including Scotland’s Connor Graham (Texas Tech) and Ireland’s Gavin Tiernan, the recent British Amateur runner-up.
Peter Finch, a golf influencer with over 700,000 YouTube subscribers, will also test his competitive skills here.
Royal Cinque Ports welcomes the Poulter duo alongside Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (world No. 87), who recently finished T12 at the U.S. Open. England’s Matthew Southgate has a remarkable track record here, having qualified through this venue five times on his way to six Open appearances, including a T6 finish in 2017.
This site has the strongest LIV presence with five members competing: Ian Poulter, David Puig, Graeme McDowell, Dean Burmester, and Peter Uihlein. Amateur Kris Kim, who made the cut at last year’s Byron Nelson on the PGA Tour at just 16 years old, is another intriguing name.
West Lancashire features Texas senior Tommy Morrison, who won last year’s European Amateur and made the cut at Troon. Four LIV players will compete here: Sam Horsfield, Lucas Herbert, Andy Ogletree and Harold Varner III.
The field includes several players fighting for Race to Dubai points, including Finland’s Oliver Lindell (54th), New Zealand’s Kozuma Kobori (73rd), and American Dan Erickson (129th).
With such competitive fields across all four sites, Tuesday promises to deliver both heartbreak and triumph as players chase those coveted spots in The Open at Royal Portrush.
