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Nicklaus to skip second straight British Open Reuters June 24 10:20am ET | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- Three-time British
Open champion Jack Nicklaus will not take part in this year's
championship at Carnoustie starting on July 15, the organizers
confirmed.
The 59-year-old American, generally considered the game's greatest player, informed organizers he would not play because he "didn't want to take a spot from someone who could be more competative." Nicklaus had hip replacement surgery early this year and has played just a few tournaments since returning to the game, missing the cut at last week's U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Nicklaus, who won in 1966, 1970 and 1978, played 36 consecutive British Opens but missed last year's event. He does plan to play next year's millennium Open at St. Andrews, where he won two of this three titles in 1970 and 1978. A total of 15 other former champions are in the field for Carnoustie, including Tom Watson, who won the first of his five titles when the event was last played on the eastern Scottish links in 1975. Watson also won in 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1983. Defending champion Mark O'Meara heads the list of past winners in the field of 2,222 who have entered the Open, 102 of whom are exempt from qualifying. Regional qualifying at 16 courses on July 5 will trim the field for final qualifying on July 11 and 12.
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