Dustin Johnson Withdraws From Open Championship Qualifying, Ending A 38-Major Start Streak

Dustin Johnson will not play the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, ending a long run. The 42-year-old misses golf’s oldest major for the first time in 17 years. This also stops a sequence of 38 straight major appearances, which began at the 2017 Masters.

Johnson had entered final qualifying at Dundonald Links after failing to earn an automatic place. The event offered spots for the Open Championship starting on 16 July at Royal Birkdale. Johnson has since been removed from the qualifying field, with no public explanation given.

Johnson is a two-time major champion, winning the 2016 US Open and 2020 Masters. At the Open Championship, Johnson’s best finish came in 2011, when Johnson tied for second. Recent results have been modest, with only one top-20 in Johnson’s last 15 majors.