Veteran Golfers Els and Daly Withdraw from The Open Championship at Royal Troon

Veteran golfers Ernie Els and John Daly have made the difficult decision to withdraw from The Open Championship, held at the prestigious Royal Troon golf course in Scotland.

Els, a two-time Open champion, and Daly both struggled in the opening round, posting 11-over 82s, with only Dan Bradbury faring worse with an 83.

In a statement, the R&A cited a back injury as the reason for Els’ withdrawal, while Daly pointed to a knee problem as his motivation to step away from the competition.

Els, a stalwart of the Open Championship with 29 appearances, has victories at Muirfield and Royal Lytham & St Annes under his belt, along with three runner-up finishes, including a dramatic loss to Todd Hamilton at Royal Troon in 2004.

Daly, the 1995 Open champion at the Old Course in St. Andrews, has struggled to find top form in recent Open outings, with this year proving to be a challenging one for the American.

The discussion around whether to call it the British Open or the Open Championship continues, with Golf Digest acknowledging both names in its coverage to cater to fans on both sides of the Atlantic.