SOUTHPORT, England — Aldrich Potgieter came in third in the Last Chance Qualifier on Monday morning, but later in the afternoon he found his way into the field of the 154th Open Championship anyway. That’s because South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen announced he was withdrawing from the championship at Royal Birkdale, opening a spot for Potgieter, the first alternate and a fellow South African.
No reason was listed for Oosthuizen’s WD. The 2010 Open champion has played every year since his victory at St. Andrews except for a WD in 2013. But in three of the last four years he has missed the cut.
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Since joining the LIV Golf League in 2022, Oosthuizen, 43, has played in five majors but made the cut only once (T-60, 2022 PGA).
Despite missing out on qualifying at the Last Chance Qualifier, there seemed a reasonable chance Potgieter might have still gotten into the field. Sam Burns had said previously that he wasn’t going to play in the Open because his wife is due to have their second child soon, potentially setting himself up for a WD before the event. Matti Schmid now is listed as first alternate, with Andrew Wilson, runner-up in the Last Chances qualifier, the second alternate.
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