JUSTIN ROSE has withdrawn from The 150th Open after picking up a back injury on Wednesday.
The 41-year-old suffered the knock during the last practice session on the eve of the Major tournament at St Andrews.
British golfer Justin Rose has withdrawn from The Open due to a back injury
Such was the pain of the injury that the former US Open winner had to cut short his practice round with Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson.
Rose looked to shake off the problem on the range earlier today, but he walked off in pain as he failed to get the better of it.
And he has now had to exit the competition during the first round, which started at 6.35am.
He was due to arrive at his first tee at 8.14am, but failed to turn up, leading to speculation he may not be fit enough.
It is the first time since 2006 that the 2016 Olympic gold medallist will not be part of the field at The Open.
The PGA Tour confirmed Rose’s withdrawal on social media, where they stated he will be replaced by Rikuya Hoshino.
Their tweet read: “Justin Rose (back injury) has withdrawn from The Open Championship and will be replaced by Rikuya Hoshino.
“Aaron Rai is now the first alternate.”
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Japanese golfer Hoshino, 26, took part in his first Open championship in 2021, but failed to make the cut.
Hoshino will now play alongside British star Tommy Fleetwood and The Open’s 2018 champion Francesco Molinari.
Sweden’s Alex Noren had been first reserve ahead of Hoshino, but the 40-year-old has decided to play on the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship in California.
Should there be any more late withdrawals, England’s Aaron Rai will be next in line.
The 27-year-old finished in 19th spot at The Open last year.
