TROON, Scotland — Ernie Els has withdrawn from the British Open prior to the start of his second round on Friday.
Els, 54, struggled in his opening round at Royal Troon, going out in 42 strokes with another 40 coming in for an 11-over 82. Only Dan Bradbury (83) turned in a higher score.
The R&A cited a back injury in announcing that Els had pulled out of the event.
Els was making his 29th Open start of his career. The South African is a two-time Champion Golfer of the Year, winning the claret jug in 2002 at Muirfield by defeating Thomas Levet, Steve Elkington and Stuart Appleby in a four-hole playoff. He captured his second Open title in 2012 at Royal Lytham & St Annes, his final-round 68 defeating Adam Scott by one. Els also had three Open runner-ups, including at Royal Troon in 2004, where he lost to Todd Hamilton in a playoff.
Els is in the midst of a career season on the PGA Tour Champions, notching three wins—including last week’s Kaulig Championship, a senior major— and seven top-10s in 13 starts on the senior circuit. He’s listed in the field for next week’s Senior British Open.
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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
