Past Champion Ernie Els Withdraws From 152nd Open
The two-time Claret Jug winner withdrew after shooting an 82 in round one at Royal Troon
![Ernie Els plays an iron shot](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7pbBfjmAM2RJBJWZQKJAqZ-415-80.jpg)
Ernie Els has been forced withdrawn from The 152nd Open due to a back injury.
The legendary South African struggled on day one at Royal Troon in shooting an 11-over-par 82.
Els, who won the Claret Jug in 2002 at Muirfield and then again in 2012 at Royal Lytham and St Annes, has been in brilliant form on the over-50s PGA Tour Champions this year but clearly had a niggle that contributed to a poor start at Troon.
The four-time Major champion, now 54-years-old, has six wins on the Champions Tour including three since June.
Just last week he captured his first senior Major at the Senior Players Championship, called Kaulig Companies Championship, at former WGC venue Firestone Country Club.
Els isn't the only man to have withdrawn this week, with John Daly withdrawing due to a knee injury and Romain Langasque completing just seven holes of round one before calling it a day due to injury.
Sweden's Sebsastian Soderberg was also a late withdrawal prior to the championship getting underway.
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Els was due to go out early on Friday morning at 7.19am local time (2.19am ET) alongside Gary Woodland, amateur Altin van der Merwe.
Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!
Elliott is currently playing:
Driver: Titleist TSR4
3 wood: Titleist TSi2
Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1
Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Ball: Srixon Z Star XV
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