Moments before his 8.14 tee time Justin Rose was forced to withdraw with a back injury. The 2013 US Open champion, who would have been playing in his 20th Open, was replaced in the field by Rikuya Hoshino of Japan.
It was also bad news for Alex Noren who was the first alternate but decided to play in the Barracuda Championship in California.
The Englishman was due to play alongside his Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari but his body then let him down at the last minute and he had to pull out.
An hour after his tee time Rose tweeted: "On the 4th hole yesterday during my practice round, I made a swing with my driver and started to feel pain in my lower back. I’ve been getting around the clock treatment but it just doesn’t feel ready to compete in this prestigious championship."
Rose, who made his name when bursting onto the scene as an amateur at the 1999 Open at Birkdale, has a fairly mixed record in the Championship with a best finish of tied second at Carnoustie in 2018. That year he made the cut on the number, with a closing birdie, before making a brilliant run at Molinari over the weekend.
The former World No. 1's last win came at Torrey Pines in 2019, a run that has seen him being overlooked for the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. More recently he showed some sizzling form at the Canadian Open last month when he closed with a final round of 60.
The next player on the reserve list is now Aaron Rai.
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