The Open Championship at Royal Portrush is now less than one week away, and the excitement is certainly building.
The Scottish Open is over, with Rory McIlroy and Chris Gotterup producing an entertaining final round battle at The Renaissance Club.
The next stop on the PGA and DP World Tour is Northern Ireland, where the best players in the world will compete for the Claret Jug.
Unfortunately, one major champion will not be teeing it up at Royal Portrush, but it has given an exciting opportunity to someone else.
Ernie Els withdraws from The Open Championship at Royal Portrush
One of the top criteria to qualify for The Open Championship is any former champion below the age of 60.
Some of the players to benefit from this in 2025 include: Stewart Cink, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, and Zach Johnson.
Another was two-time Open winner Ernie Els, who has unfortunately withdrawn from the tournament.
The South African golfer won at Muirfield in 2002 after a four-man playoff and at Royal Lytham and St Annes in 2012.
Els is playing fairly well at the Dick’s Open on the PGA Tour Champions this week, so his decision comes as a surprise.
Si Woo Kim replaces Ernie Els at The Open Championship
Els will be replaced by four-time PGA Tour winner Si Woo Kim at The Open Championship next week.
Kim has played in the last three Opens but was set to miss out on Royal Portrush after an underwhelming 2025 season.
The South Korean has plenty of solid finishes, including at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Arnold Palmer Invitational, and RBC Heritage, without ever contending for a win.
But Kim’s best result of all came at the PGA Championship (T8), and he has won the Players Championship before, so he does have the mentality to perform well under the immense pressure of The Open.
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