Former champion Johnson withdraws from British Open

LONDON – Former British Golf Open winner Zach Johnson will miss this year’s championship at Royal St George’s in Kent after testing positive for Covid-19, the R&A said while announcing two more withdrawals.

South African Louis de Jager has also been forced out due to a positive Covid-19 test, while last-minute qualifier Ryan Moore is recovering from a back injury and will not appear.

The trio will be replaced by Sam Horsfield, Dylan Frittelli and Adam Long.

“I am disappointed to announce that I have tested positive for Covid-19 and will have to withdraw from the 2021 Open Championship,” Johnson, who won the Open in 2015, wrote on Twitter.

“I look forward to returning to St Andrews next year, a place where I have such wonderful memories. Good luck to all the competitors,” he added according to Reuters.

Reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and two-times Augusta winner Bubba Watson also announced their withdrawals yesterday after testing positive for the coronavirus.

The Open begins on Thursday.

Elsewhere, Australia´s Min Woo Lee won a three-way playoff against Matt Fitzpatrick and Thomas Detry at the Scottish Open to clinch his second European Tour title.

Lee birdied the first extra hole after the trio had finished tied on 18-under par at The Renaissance Club following a 90-minute weather delay late in the final round.

Lee and Detry also secured places in the British Open at Royal St. George´s, with England´s Jack Senior claiming the final one on offer thanks to a tie for 10th.

The 22-year-old Lee, whose sister Minjee Lee was runner-up in the Ladies Scottish Open at nearby Gullane in 2018, had earlier birdied six holes in a row from the third on his way to a flawless closing 7-under 64.

That set the clubhouse target on 18 under and the final pair of Fitzpatrick and Detry were the only players capable of matching it after rounds of 67.

Ian Poulter, Ryan Palmer and last week´s Irish Open winner Lucas Herbert finished a shot behind, with US Open champion Jon Rahm another stroke back in seventh, a result which means he loses his No. 1 ranking to Dustin Johnson.

On an extremely crowded leaderboard, Detry had emerged from a five-way tie for the lead with a birdie on the 13th. But the Belgian then missed from close range for par on the 14th at the moment the hooters sounded to suspend play due to the threat of lightning.

When play resumed Lee was the first to take advantage of the pivotal par-five 16th and his birdie was subsequently matched by Detry and Fitzpatrick, with Lee then leaving a birdie putt on the 18th just inches short of the hole.