The European Golf Association has confirmed the first set of rewards that will be available in association with the new European Amateur Order of Merit (EAOM).

The EAOM, recently announced by the EGA and launching in 2026, aims to enhance the appeal of the international calendar for elite amateur players wishing to compete in Europe and promote the continent’s most prestigious amateur events. Both series will run annually and feature approximately 15 established elite amateur championships each, hosted at leading venues across Europe in collaboration with national golf federations.

Alongside the European Amateur Order of Merit titles and medals awarded to the top three finishers, the EAOMs will also provide attractive playing opportunities. These include direct qualification, based on performance and EAOM ranking position, to leading amateur events such as the EGA European Amateur and Ladies’ Amateur Championships.

In addition, each EAOM event will grant the winner an invitation to compete in a tournament on one of Europe’s first or second tier professional tours. During the 2026 pilot season, close to 40 exemptions to professional events will be available across the men’s and women’s competitions, the first of which have now been confirmed.

 PLAYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEN

The Front-Nine ‘swing’ for the men, starting with the Portuguese International Amateur Championship in February and ending with the Austrian International Amateur Championship in May will offer the following rewards:

Men – Front-Nine Swing Rewards (based on EAOM ranking position following all Front-Nine events)

Men – Front-Nine Event Winner Rewards (awarded to the winners of each EAOM event)

All Front-Nine event winners earn an exemption into the 2026 European Amateur Championship. In addition, the following rewards on Europe’s professional tours will be made available:  

PLAYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN

The Front-Nine swing for the women will kick-off with the Portuguese International Women’s Amateur Championship at the end of January, and end with the Flogas Irish Women’s Amateur Open mid-May with the following available rewards:

Women – Front-Nine Swing Rewards (based on EAOM ranking position following all Front-Nine events)  

Women – Front-Nine Event Winner Rewards (awarded to the winners of each event)

All Front-Nine event winners earn an exemption into the 2026 European Ladies’ Amateur Championship. In addition, the following rewards on Europe’s professional tours will be made available:  

All rewards remain under the ownership of the national golf federation/ event promoter, in coordination with the European Golf Association (EGA).

Details on rewards for the Back-Nine and Final Sprint series of events will be confirmed early next year. 

More information on the EAOMs, including the full schedules, can be found here: https://www.ega-golf.ch/content/about-EAOM