Adam Scott's consecutive major streak gets a potential boost

Adam Scott moved a step closer to extending his consecutive major championship streak in 2026.

Scott, 45, finished fifth on Sunday in the Crown Australian Open at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, to be one of three golfers to qualify for The 154^th Open at Royal Birkdale. It will mark his 26th consecutive appearance at the Open. He joined Si Woo Kim, who finished third, and Michael Hollick, who finished fourth, as the other qualifiers among the top-3 finishes at the Australian Open, not otherwise exempt. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who was already exempt, won the national open title on 15-under par, one shot ahead of 2022 British Open champion, Cam Smith.

Scott played in his 97^th consecutive major at the British Open in July. He is exempt into the Masters as a past champion. As for making his 99^th straight major start, Scott likely will get into the PGA Championship, which typically makes room for the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Scott entered the week at No. 62 and should move up after a strong finish Down Under.

As for hitting the century mark, Scott will need to stay within the top 60 in the world to qualify for the U.S. Open in June at Shinnecock. [He could also earn a spot through 36-hole final qualifying among other possible categories in the lead up to the season's third major.] In 2024, he was ranked 61^st in the world at the cutoff but snuck in the field when the USGA removed Grayson Murray, who had died a month earlier, from the top 60.

Scott, whose streak began at the 2001 Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes, holds the second-longest streak in men's professional golf history. Jack Nicklaus played in 146 consecutive majors from 1962 to 1998.

If Scott were to qualify for the PGA and U.S. Open, the British Open will be his 101^st major in a row and the 2027 Masters, which is guaranteed from winning the Green Jacket in 2013, would bring his streak to at least 102.