Two-time champion Ernie Els has withdrawn from this week’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush, which tees off on Thursday.

Golf fans will be disappointed not to see Els in action at the year’s final Major.

According to The Citizen, Els has one of the best records at the Open, a tournament he won in 2002 and 2012.

By not playing the Open this week, the 55-year-old Els will end a run of 32 straight appearances at the tournament and 33 appearances in total.

He played his first Open in 1989 at Royal Troon, and from 1992 – his next Open, where he tied for fifth at Muirfield – didn’t miss an Open until now. The tournament wasn’t held in 2020 due to the Covid-19-pandemic.

Els has two wins, three runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes in his Open career. In total, he has nine top-five finishes.

The Royal and Ancient, organisers of the Open, haven’t given a reason for Els’ withdrawal, and the player hasn’t commented either. He played at last weekend’s Dick’s Open on the Champions Tour, finishing in a tie for 16th with a score of eight under par after rounds of 70, 69 and 69.

In his most recent Open appearances, Els missed the cut in 2023 and withdrew with a back injury at Royal Troon last year.

Oosthuizen and other SA golfers in the field

This week’s 150th Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland will, however, see 11 South Africans tee it up on Thursday, including former champion Louis Oosthuizen, who now plays regular golf on the LIV Tour.

Oosthuizen won the Open at St Andrews in 2010. His other best finishes are a tied second in 2015 and tied third in 2021.

The other South Africans in the field are Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Dean Burmester, Darren Fichardt, Thriston Lawrence, Dylan Naidoo, amateur Bryan Newman, Shaun Norris, Aldrich Potgieter, Daniel van Tonder and Justin Walters.

In five appearances, Bezuidenhout’s best finish is tied 49th at Royal Liverpool in 2023. Burmester’s best in three showings is tied 11th at St Andrews in 2022, while Fichardt has missed six cuts in seven starts.

Lawrence was in contention at Troon last year before finishing fourth (in three Open appearances), while this will be Naidoo’s first Open after capturing the SA Open title earlier this year to qualify.

Norris has played in five Opens before, with a best finish of tied 61st in 2018. Potgieter missed the cut in his first and only appearance, as an amateur at St Andrews in 2022.

Van Tonder will make his debut, while Walters’ only appearance saw him miss the cut in 2014 at Royal Liverpool.

Newman will chase the silver medal, awarded to the best amateur, after the now 18-year-old qualified by winning the Africa Amateur Championship at Leopard Creek in February as a 17-year-old.

The defending champion at Portrush is American Xander Schauffele.