Players withdraw from the 150th Open
Justin Rose and Erik Van Rooyen have both pulled out through injury
Since Scotsman Paul Lawrie got the 150th Open Championship underway at 6:35 this morning, two players have withdrawn through injury.
The first was world number 50 Justin Rose who pulled out through a back injury.
Rose, who was due to tee of at 8:14am, ended Wednesday's practice round prematurely, leading to speculation he may have sustained a problem.
In a statement Rose said: "On the fourth hole yesterday, I made a swing with my driver and started to feel pain in my lower back. I've been getting around the clock treatment but it just doesn't feel ready to compete in this prestigious championship."
He was replaced by Japanese player Rikuya Hoshino, currently ranked world number 70.
He made his Open debut at last year's edition at Royal St George's Golf Course where he missed out on the halfway cut.
The second player to pull out was South Africa's Erik Van Rooyen.
Currently ranked world number 89, Van Rooyen was due to tee of at 1:48pm but pulled out through a neck injury.
He's replaced by Englishman Aaron Rai who finished tied in 19th in last year's Open as he made his competition debut.