LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England – Senior British Open champion Russ Cochran withdrew from the British Open Thursday and first alternate Michael Thompson will replace him in the field.
“I just found out that I’m taking Russ Cochran’s place in @The_Open,” Thompson wrote on his Twitter account. “All this waiting paid off. Time to get that #warriormentality #RollTide.”
Thompson tied for second-place last month at the U.S. Open.
The news is a bigger deal for Ben Crane, who was listed on the alternate list ahead of Thompson. But Crane did not make the trip to England and was taken off the alternate list Wednesday by the R&A when it learned that he was still at home in Oregon.
Matteo Manassero is now next on the alternate list.