It's a huge perk of winning the Open Championship that players get such a long exemption to return year after year, but not all of those will be teeing it up at Royal Portrush.
Open champions up until last year received exemptions to play until they turned 60, but from Xander Schauffele onwards the new age limit is 55.
It still means there are some huge names on the Claret Jug of players that can still return, although time is running out for a few of those before their exemptions expire.
Thhere are 16 former Open champions teeing it up at Royal Portrush this year, but a few notable names missing for a variety of reasons.
Tiger Woods
Open champion 2000, 2005, 2006
Three-time champion Tiger Woods is not done just yet, but his latest surgery on a torn Achilles means he's not making the trip to The Open this year.
He played at St Andrews in 2022, missed Royal Liverpool in 2023 but managed to get around Royal Troon in horrible conditions last year - albeit missing the cut.
We know Tiger's desperate to play as long as he can and if he does get back to fitness then The Open will be one of his top targets.
John Daly
Open champion 1995
One of the biggest names in golf in his day, Daly played at Troon last year but withdrew after shooting 82 in the opening round - he also withdrew before the tournament at Portrush in 2019 after his request for a golf cart was turned down.
Physical problems make getting around the course without a cart tough for Daly these days - and at 59 next year will be the final one of his exemption so unless he can make a special effort he may have played his last Open already.
Ernie Els
Open champion 2002, 2012
Like Daly, Ernie Els withdrew from Troon last year also having shot 82 in the first round, with a back injury doing the damage for the two-time champion.
And Els followed that by withdrawing from the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush the week before the start of the tournament but did not reveal his reasons.
Paul Lawrie
Open champion 1999
We'll never forget Paul Lawrie's Open victory at Carnoustie, but we've not seen him in the field for the Claret Jug since 2022 - when he hit the opening tee shot of the 150th Open at St Andrews.
He said then he had a few more left in him but he'll have to hurry up as at 56 he too is running out of time on his exemption.
Ben Curtis
Open champion 2003
A huge shock winner at St George's, it was actually a first Major appearance for Ben Curtis as the American outsider took advantage of Thomas Bjorn's slip-up to win his only career Major.
Although still only 48, Curtis does not play in The Open and hasn't done so since 2016, although he still has plenty of time to change his mind.
Todd Hamilton
Open champion 2004
Just a year after Curtis, Todd Hamilton produced another huge upset when he won a four-hole playoff against Ernie Els to capture the Claret Jug at Royal Troon.
Hamilton returned from a break of six years to play The Open last year with it being back at Troon, and that was his farewell to the tournament as at 59 he's on the verge of his exemption running out.
Past champions playing the 2025 Open Championship
- Justin Leonard 1997
- Padraig Harrington 2007, 2008
- Stewart Cink 2009
- Louis Oosthuizen 2010
- Darren Clarke 2011
- Phil Mickelson 2013
- Rory McIlroy 2014
- Zach Johnson 2015
- Henrik Stenson 2016
- Jordan Spieth 2017
- Francesco Molinari 2018
- Shane Lowry 2019
- Collin Morikawa 2021
- Cameron Smith 2022
- Brian Harman 2023
- Xander Schauffele 2024
