Louis Oosthuizen, who once claimed the Claret Jug as Open Championship winner, announced Monday that a back injury will keep him out of this year’s competition.
The 43-year-old South African currently plays on the LIV Golf circuit. He captured his Open title at St Andrews, Scotland, back in 2010 — the only Grand Slam victory of his career.
Beyond missing The Open, Oosthuizen revealed he will also be sidelined for the LIV Golf United Kingdom event in Rocester, England, scheduled to get underway on July 23.
Taking to social media, Oosthuizen expressed his frustration over the dual absences. “It’s incredibly disappointing to miss two events I always look forward to, but my priority now is to focus on my recovery and make sure I’m fully fit before returning to competition,” he wrote.
He added: “Thank you to everyone for the support and kind messages. I’ll be backing the Southern Guards from afar and look forward to being back out there as soon as I can.”
With Oosthuizen out, fellow South African Aldrich Potgieter steps in as the first alternate for the 154th Open Championship, which tees off Thursday at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England.
While Oosthuizen’s 2010 Open title remains his only major championship win, he has come agonizingly close on multiple other occasions. He has finished as runner-up in six major tournaments — the Masters in 2012, the PGA Championship in 2017 and 2021, the U.S. Open in 2015 and 2021, and The Open in 2015.
