British Open: Justin Rose withdraws because of back injury
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — The Latest on the British Open (all times local):
8:40 a.m.
Justin Rose has withdrawn from the British Open because of a back injury.
He has been replaced in the field by Rikuya Hoshino of Japan.
The No. 50-ranked Rose appeared to be struggling with a back problem as he walked off the course Wednesday in his practice round.
Rose finished tied for fourth as an amateur at Royal Birkdale in 1998. The Englishman has two other top-10 finishes at the Open, in 2015 and ’18.
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6:45 a.m.
The silver claret jug was first awarded 150 years ago to the British Open champion. There it was Thursday morning on the first tee at St. Andrews as golf’s oldest championship began.
Paul Lawrie of Scotland, the Open champion from 1999, was selected to hit the first shot of this historic week that is all about the 150th edition at the home of golf. He used a yellow golf ball and found the wide fairway. The gutta-percha was the golf ball of choice in 1860 when the British Open began at Prestwick.
The 150th Open accounts for the championship being canceled by two world wars, one pandemic and one other occasion. The Open was not played in 1871 because Young Tom Morris had won the previous year for the third straight time. That meant he took possession of the champion’s belt. That’s the original trophy of the British Open.
It was a critical juncture for The Open. It was decided that the championship would rotate among Prestwick, St. Andrews and Musselburgh. By the time they got it sorted out, it was too late to play in 1871. They also decided on a new trophy — the claret jug.
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