Louis Oosthuizen has been a regular at every Open Championship, except in 2013, when he had to withdraw. On July 13, 2026, the South African player had to withdraw, forced off the field because of a back injury. Fellow South African player Aldrich Potgieter will now take his place. Oosthuizen made the announcement himself.

“Unfortunately, because of a back injury, I’ve had to make the difficult decision to withdraw from both the Open Championship and LIV Golf’s JCB event. It’s incredibly disappointing to miss two events I always look forward to, but my priority is now to focus on my recovery and make sure I’m fully fit before returning to the competition.”

The withdrawal stings for Oosthuizen too, who has been playing the Open since 2004, winning it once in 2010 at St. Andrews. Since joining LIV Golf in June 2022, he has played three Open Championships but made the cut only once: T23 in the 2023 Open Championship.

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In Which Year Did Tom Kim Match a Tiger Woods Record?

2020202220262025

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Potgieter, who is replacing Oosthuizen, was already sitting as the field’s first alternative before he qualified at Monday’s last-chance qualifier. He then played in the LCQ anyway and finished third. He closed with an even-par 70 as Joe Dean won the winner-takes-all event in 68, beating Andrew Wilson by two.

The timing could not have been better for Potgieter. Potgieter has spent most of 2026 fighting to survive Fridays. Since 2025, he has missed 20 cuts in 36 starts. But majors have been especially unkind. Across six major starts since The Open Championship in 2022, he has missed the cut four times: twice at the Masters and twice at the Open Championship. Only a tie for 64th at the U.S. Open 2023 stands as his best result. The 21-year-old made his debut at the PGA Championship this year and recorded his career-lowest score.

The struggles in his life go beyond the leaderboard. Potgieter was born in Pretoria and moved to Perth when he was eight years old. He has grown his game around raw power long before he turned pro in 2023. He has also spent recent months overhauling his training and diet, dropping around 35 pounds as he adjusts to the change. It has also coincided with some of his better stretches this year. None of it guarantees a good week at Royal Birkdale, but for a player who has spent most of 2026 trying to survive weekends, walking into the major could be a huge opportunity.