​The 154th Open Championship begins Thursday at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, and while the main pursuit of the week is the Claret Jug, but for the 10 amateurs in the field this week, they’ll battle it out for the Silver Medal.Champions of the biggest amateur events across the world are amongst the best players in golf this week at the final men’s major championship of the year. The U.S. Amateur and British Amateur champion are teeing it up as well as qualifiers who recently earned their way into the field.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThree amateurs had a chance to play their way into the field Monday in the Last Chance Qualifier, but Joe Dean won the 12-player qualifier.Here’s a look at the amateurs teeing it up in the Open Championship:1 / 19A young visitor shelters in the shade, as players practice a few days before the start of the 2026 Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale golf course near Southport in north-west England on July 12, 2026.(ANDY BUCHANAN, AFP via Getty Images)How he qualified: Won the 2026 Africa AmateurHow he qualified: Finished T-3 at Burnham & Barrow final qualifierHow he qualified: Won the 2026 British AmateurHow he qualified: Won the Open Amateur SeriesHow he qualified: Advanced via final qualifying at Dundonald LinksAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHow he qualified: Won the 2025 U.S. AmateurHow he qualified: Won the 2025 Asia-Pacific AmateurHow he qualified: Won the 2026 Latin America AmateurHow he qualified: Advanced via final qualifying at Dundonald LinksHow he qualified: Won the 2026 European AmateurCameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Meet the 10 amateurs teeing it up in the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale