Qualifying Sites Announced for 2026 U.S. Senior Open

Qualifying sites for the 46th U.S. Senior Open Championship, to be held at Scioto Country Club, in Columbus, Ohio, from July 2-5, have been announced by the USGA. Scioto is hosting its third Senior Open and fifth USGA championship.

The U.S. Senior Open will feature a qualifying framework that is comparable to the U.S. Open with two stages that includes local and final sites. The USGA has established 28 full exemption categories, including 5-year exemptions for the major champions of the Senior PGA Championship, Senior Open Championship, Kaulig Companies Championship and Regions Tradition. Winners of the U.S. Senior Open, from 2015-2025, are also exempt.

The establishment of 24 local exemptions will include, but are not be limited to, PGA Tour Champions winners from the last five seasons, the top 75 players in the Charles Schwab Cup standings as of March 25, winners of select state senior opens and state senior amateur championships in 2025 and the top 25 age-eligible players from the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® as of March 25.

Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 32 sites in 25 U.S. states, will take place from April 2-May 7. Those players who advance will join a group of locally exempt players in final qualifying, which will also be conducted over 18 holes. This final stage will be held at 12 sites across the U.S., from May 18-June 15.

Online player registration began on Feb. 17 at 9 a.m. ET, and the process will continue through Wednesday, March 25, at 5 p.m. ET (champ-admin.usga.org).

There are four local qualifying sites in California, the most of any state. Texas will host three local qualifiers. The final qualifying venues include Miami Valley Golf Club, in Dayton, Ohio, which will be a host site for the first time.

Don Pooley (2002) is the lone player to win the U.S. Senior Open after advancing through qualifying. In 2024, 22 qualifiers made the 36-hole cut at Newport (R.I.) Country Club.

The 2026 U.S. Senior Open will be the 42nd USGA championship contested in Ohio. Six U.S. Senior Opens have been held in The Buckeye State, including 2016 when Gene Sauers posted a one-stroke victory over Billy Mayfair and Miguel Angel Jiménez during Scioto's centennial year.

The U.S. Senior Open is open to professional golfers, and amateurs with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4 who are at least 50 years of age by the start of championship play. The field of 156 players will compete in two rounds of stroke play, after which the field will be reduced to the low 60 scores and ties for the final 36 holes of stroke play. NBCUniversal will provide live broadcast coverage of all four rounds of the championship. 

2026 U.S. Senior Open Local Qualifying Sites (32)

Thursday, April 2 (1)

The Village Course at Waikoloa, Waikoloa Village, Hawaii

Monday, April 6 (2)

Seven Oaks Country Club, Bakersfield, Calif.
Riverbend Country Club, Sugar Land, Texas

Thursday, April 9 (1)

Wynlakes Golf & Country Club, Montgomery, Ala.

Monday, April 13 (1)

Diablo Country Club, Diablo, Calif.

Monday, April 20 (2)

Yolo Fliers Club, Woodland, Calif.
Mill Creek Country Club, Mill Creek, Wash.

Tuesday, April 21 (2)

Metedeconk National Golf Club, Jackson, N.J.
Outdoor Country Club, York, Pa.

Wednesday, April 22 (1)

Grasslands Club, Gallatin, Tenn.

Monday, April 27 (9)

MountainView Golf Club, Tucson, Ariz.
CommonGround Golf Course, Aurora, Colo.
Lakewood National Golf Club, Lakewood Ranch, Fla.
Cartersville (Ga.) Country Club
Kemper Lakes Golf Course, Kildeer, Ill.
Salem Country Club, Peabody, Mass.
Worthington Hills Country Club, Worthington, Ohio
Willamette Valley Country Club, Canby, Oregon
Diamond Oaks Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas

Tuesday, April 28 (5)

Goose Creek Golf Club, Jurupa Valley, Calif.
Cold Spring Country Club, Huntington, N.Y.
Painted Dunes Golf Course, El Paso, Texas
Stonebridge Golf Club, West Valley City, Utah
The Homestead, Hot Springs, Va.

Wednesday, April 29 (3)

Orchard Ridge Country Club, Fort Wayne, Ind.
River Landing, Wallace, N.C.
Indiana Country Club, Indiana, Pa.

Monday, May 4 (1)

Muskegon Country Club, Muskegon, Mich.

Tuesday, May 5 (1)

Island View Golf Club, Waconia, Minn.

Wednesday, May 6 (1)

Firekeeper Golf Course, Mayetta, Kansas

Thursday, May 7 (2)

Indian River Club, Vero Beach, Fla.
Florence Country Club, Florence, S.C.

2026 U.S. Senior Open Final Qualifying Sites (12)

Monday, May 18 (1)

Oakbrook Golf & Country Club, Lakewood, Wa.

Tuesday, May 19 (1)

Treyburn Country Club, Durham, N.C.

Wednesday, May 27 (1)

New Haven Country Club, Hamden, Conn.

Monday, June 1 (3)

Tuscany Falls Country Club, Goodyear, Ariz.
Miami Valley Golf Club, Dayton, Ohio
Golfcrest Country Club, Pearland, Texas

Tuesday, June 2 (1)

The Legend at Bergamont, Oregon, Wis.

Wednesday, June 3 (2)

The Bear's Club, Jupiter, Fla.
Country Club of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Tuesday, June 9 (1)

Shadow Ridge Country Club, Omaha, Neb.

Monday, June 15 (2)

El Caballero Country Club, Tarzana, Calif.
Manor Country Club, Rockville, Md.