Qualifying was first introduced at The Open Championship in 1907.
Before 1907, the championship generally used a 36-hole cut to reduce the field after the opening rounds. For the 1907 event, qualifying was added before the main championship, reflecting the growing number of entries. It was played on 18 and 19 June, ahead of the tournament proper at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
The 193 entries were divided into two sections, with each player completing 36 holes on one day. The leading 30 players and ties from each section advanced. Arnaud Massy led Tuesday's section with 147, while J.H. Taylor topped Wednesday's with 154. Some competitors felt that the first group had an advantage because it received a day's rest before the Open began.
This change is easy to confuse with later developments in Open field management. Qualifying was not first introduced in 1926, 1931 or 1898; 1898 belongs to the period when the championship used a cut after 36 holes. The 1907 innovation helped accommodate a much larger field and became part of the event's evolving format.