PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Two-time Open winner Ernie Els and DP World Tour winner Paul Waring have withdrawn from this week’s British Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
No reason was given by the R&A for Els’ decision. The 55-year-old, who captured the claret jug in 2002 and 2012, is missing the Open for the first time since 1991. Els did pull out of last year’s Open at Royal Troon following a first-round 82.
Waring, 40, was set to play in this fourth career Open. However, the Englishman reaggravated a shoulder injury over the weekend at the Genesis Scottish Open, forcing him to drop out of the tournament.
Replacing Els and Waring are Si Woo Kim and Davis Riley. Kim, 30, is 63rd in the Official World Golf Ranking and ranks 29th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained. Riley, 28, has mostly struggled on tour this season, although did have a surprising run at the PGA Championship, ultimately finishing in a tie for second place.
Jacob Bridgeman is now the first alternate.
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.
