July 11, (THEWILL) – Former world number two golf player, Gerry Lester “Bubba” Watson Jr., has announced his decision to withdraw from next week’s Open Championship after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
He made the announcement on Sunday with a statement post on Twitter.
The post shared via his official Twitter handle (@bubbawatson) read in full: “I am disappointed to announce I will not compete at The Open Championship next week due to having direct exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
“While I am vaccinated and have passed the required pre-travel Covid test, not enough time has passed for me to comfortably join the charter flight and risk exposure to the other players and personnel on board. I appreciate the R&A’s guidance and help navigating UK policy for such situations.
“Like many of you, I look forward to watching The Open Championship on TV. Since I will be watching from the comfort of my couch I would not mind seeing the field have to deal with a little rain and strong winds! Best of luck to all the players.”
Watson finished on a hopeful note: “I look forward to returning to The Open Championship next year.”
His withdrawal closely follows the withdrawal of the 2021 Masters champion, Hideki Matsuyama. The Japanese withdrew on Saturday because of a recent COVID-19 diagnosis. This makes the 42-year-old Watson the latest high-profile player to pull out of the British Open.
THEWILL recalls that they are by no means the only players not going to be at the Open. So far, Matthew Wolff, Danny Lee and Kyoung-hoon Lee have all announced that they will not be contesting at the Championship.
For those participating, far stricter COVID-19 protocols will be observed at the Open Championship than they have at recent tournaments in the United States before now:
Every player will be tested for COVID-19 upon their arrival. This will be regardless of their vaccination status. Then, they will be forbidden from going to restaurants, pubs or grocery stores once at the tournament. And, just as in Bubba’s case, a player that comes into contact with a positive COVID-19 person can be disqualified whether they test positive themselves or not.
Events for the 2021 Open Championship will commence next week from Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England. It is the first since 2019 as the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the tourney for 2020.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
