One player’s Open Championship is already over.
James Nicholas withdrew prior to Friday’s second round at Royal Birkdale due to an unspecified injury.
Nicholas, who joined three other players this year in final-qualifying for both summer Opens (the first time that feat had been accomplished since 2019), said he’d been dealing with the injury all week.
He shot 5-over 75 in Thursday’s first round, failing to card a birdie.
“Pushed through it yesterday, but unfortunately that only made things worse, and I’m unable to tee it up today,” Nicholas said.
“Competing in an Open Championship has always been a dream of mine, which makes this one especially difficult to accept,” Nicholas added. “I want to thank all of the doctors and medical staff who worked hard to get me in the best shape possible to play this week. This isn’t how I wanted the week to go, but I know I’ll be back. For now, it’s back to the States to focus on recovery and figure out the best path forward.”
Nicholas was supposed to tee off at 11:41 a.m. local time alongside Thomas Detry and local Matthew Baldwin. He had made the cut in each of his previous two major starts, at the two most recent U.S. Opens. He’s also currently No. 18 in Korn Ferry Tour points.
