Nacho Elvira will make his first major start at The 151st Open as he was joined by Kalle Samooja and Marc Warren in qualifying through their performances at the Made in HimmerLand.

Spaniard Elvira missed out on winning his second DP World Tour title in Denmark on Sunday as he lost in a playoff to the already exempt and home favourite Rasmus Højgaard.

Finn Samooja will also make his debut in golf’s oldest Major at Royal Liverpool, while Scot Marc Warren is returning to The Open for the first time since 2016 when it was held at Royal Troon.

“It’s a bit sour right now,” said Elvira after the play-off defeat in Farsø, “but it’s sweet knowing I’ll be playing my first major.

“I’ve played at Hoylake before and I loved it so I couldn’t be more happy.”

Elvira, who claimed his first DP World Tour in the Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale at Celtic Manor two years ago, lost out to Højgaard on the sixth play-off hole after both players finished tied for first place on 13 under par.

Provided a world-class playoff
? Shot 69/62/66/70
? Climbed 131 spots in the R2DR@nachoelvira87 appreciation tweet ??#MIH23 pic.twitter.com/rqdD03eSwP

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 9, 2023

Samooja shot 64-67 over the weekend to finish at 11 under as he was joined by Warren in a tie for fourth alongside the exempt Alexander Björk and Robert MacIntyre.

“It’s been one of my goals this year,” said the 2018 European Challenge Tour graduate.

“I’ve never played Hoylake before, but I’ve watched it on TV enough so I know quite a few holes.”

Warren, a four-time DP World Tour winner, returns to play in The Open for the first time since 2016 when it was held at Royal Troon.

The Scot, who finished tied 39th when it was last held at Royal Liverpool in 2014, said: “I’ve not had many great results recently, so to just pluck one out of the bag and take one of the last spots in The Open is an amazing achievement.

“Going out there today that was the main thing; it wasn’t even a finish, it was just trying to qualify for The Open.”

This week’s Genesis Scottish Open – the third Rolex Series event of the season – represents the final opportunity for players to book their place in the field as the Open Qualifying Series comes to an end.

The leading three players, not already exempt, who make the cut at the Renaissance Club will feature in the final Major of the year, from July 20-23.

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Nacho Elvira will take a one-stroke lead into the final round of Made in HimmerLand 2023 after a closing double bogey gave hope to the chasing pack.

Playing in the final group with Robert MacIntyre, Elvira at one point opened up a three-stroke lead but a tee shot into the water at the last brought MacIntyre and fellow Scot Richie Ramsay back within striking distance.

At 13 under par, the Spaniard leads by one from MacIntyre with Ramsay a shot further back.

“I did play really well,” Elvira said after a four-under-par round of 66.

“The 18th tee shot was a bad swing and I can take a bad swing. It’s okay, it’s a good round of golf.

“I haven’t been putting great this season and it seems this week, it’s working out my way. I’m hitting it really well so I’m leaving myself closer chances for birdie, which helps a lot. I’m very pleased with my putting.”

Elvira had played Friday’s first seven holes in six under par and for the second day running he hit his opening approach inside a foot for a tap-in birdie.

MacIntyre got up and running with a perfect uphill approach to set up a birdie at the fourth, adding another at the par-five next which was matched by Elvira.

Both players made a further gain at the eighth to turn in 32, leaving Elvira one ahead at 12 under – but that turned around at the tenth as the Spaniard made a bogey four after missing the green while MacIntyre holed from 24 feet for birdie.

Elvira bounced back with birdie at the 11th, matched by his playing partner, and led once more after responding to MacIntyre’s first dropped shot of the day at the 12th by birdieing the 13th.

Ramsay had by that point joined MacIntyre at 12 under as the 14th brought him his sixth birdie in seven holes, which included holing putts of 41 feet at the ninth and 33 at the 13th. MacIntyre, though, birdied the 14th along with Elvira as they nudged ahead once more.

MacIntyre went over the back of the 16th on HimmerLand Hill and was unable to rein in his par putt from the fringe, costing him a two-shot swing as Elvira made a birdie to move three clear.

But Elvira found water off the last tee and came dangerously close again as his approach spun back off the green. He made a good up and down to limit the damage to a double bogey, enough to retain his lead as MacIntyre’s difficult birdie putt broke just too much.

MacIntyre, runner-up by a stroke to Bernd Wiesberger at this event four years ago, said: “When you’re out in the final group on a Saturday it’s just about staying in the fight.

“We were going toe to toe for a wee while there, it felt a bit like 2019 against Bernd again, but I’m in a good position going into tomorrow and that’s all we can look for. 

“Tomorrow it’s just go out and play golf and hopefully it falls my way.”

Ramsay’s 65 was a shot better than the leading pair as he bounced back from a bogey at the fourth with seven birdies before another dropped shot at the last.

“That bogey hurt on four, especially where the pin was and being in the middle of the fairway,” he said.

“You’ve just got to to be patient and positive, the two Ps, just kept that in my mind and luckily I had a nice par five coming up.

“Chip missed there for eagle, made birdie which just boosted the confidence. Went on a nice little run from there and felt really good.

“Disappointed with bogey at the last, that was a poor chip, but the last is not playing easy at all.”

Marc Warren made it three Scots in the top five as he shared fourth place with Dutchman Daan Huizing on nine under.

Fabrizio Zanotti and David Micheluzzi shot 62s, the joint best rounds of the day and the week, to join a group at eight under alongside Alexander Bjork, who went round in 63, Marcel Siem and Kalle Samooja.

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Nacho Elvira fired his way to the top of the 2023 Made in HimmerLand leaderboard after a front-nine birdie blitz.

Elvira was six under for his second round through seven holes, finishing with an eight-under-par 62 and nine under for the tournament – one shot ahead of first-round leader Robert MacIntyre.

He birdied the first hole after sending his approach over the water to within a foot and added to it in spectacular fashion with five in a row from the third.

The Spaniard’s approach play was a constant in that run of success, with his tee-shots at the par-three third and sixth both to within four feet while his six-and-a-half-foot effort at the fifth was the longest putt he holed all day.

“That was what I call a quick start,” he said. 

“From one to seven, I hit the ball really, really well. I hit it really close to a foot on one, to two feet on three, three feet on four, so the golf was really good from one to six. Then I tried to be patient and managed to get two or three more birdies on the scorecard and I did.”

The 11th brought the only dropped shot of his round but he immediately recovered it at the next – courtesy of another five-foot putt – before also birdieing the 14th and 17th from similarly close range.

“[On the 11th] it says a par five on the scorecard but it’s not, it’s a par six,” he insisted. “I’m happy with a bogey there. It’s just a very tough hole. It’s playing into the wind, it’s very long and even though it’s a par five, it’s not a gimme.

“Today is a really good day but things are turning around. It’s been a tough season, very slow, changing many things, many things have been happening in my life, but I’m pleased with where I’m at.”

MacIntyre added a 68 to his opening 64 to stay on the tail of Elvira.

The left-hander birdied the 14th, 15th and 17th holes for the second day in succession as he started on the back nine, with his only dropped shot coming at the seventh.

Ross Fisher ended the day two shots off the lead for the second day in succession as six birdies but three bogeys saw him add a 67 to his opening 66.

That included a remarkable escape from deep rough at the seventh, his 16th hole, and he said: “I’m pleased with the three under. To be honest, it didn’t feel like I played anywhere near as good as yesterday. Today was a little bit scrappy in places.

“I think if you would have offered me level par for where I hit it off the tee on seven, eight and nine, I probably would have taken it. To sign for three under, seven under total, I’m very pleased.”

As it stands after two rounds, Elvira, Fisher and Marc Warren would claim the three Open Championship places on offer to players not yet exempt but Fisher is determined not to let his focus wander.

“I’m here first and foremost to play in this tournament. If I do play well if that means winning or having a top ten, hopefully, the rest of it takes care of itself,” he said.

What a recovery ?@RossFisher with a vital birdie at the end of the day to keep himself solo 3️⃣rd#MIH23 pic.twitter.com/trWGhjh7Al

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 7, 2023

“So, no, I’m not really thinking about Open Championship qualifying. I’m just thinking about this tournament.

“It’s been a long time since I won an event (the 2014 Tshwane Open), but there’s a long way to go. We’re two rounds down, two more to go. A lot of good players out there.”

Warren, the 2014 champion, and fellow Scot Richie Ramsay shot 64s to climb to six under and share fourth place.

Warren birdied the first four holes as he and Ramsay each had seven gains and a solitary bogey on the day.

There were 64s too for German duo Freddy Schott and Marcel Siem, who moved to five under alongside Dutchman Daan Huizing, who shot 68.

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Afternoon starter Elvira recovered from an early bogey with three birdies around the turn before his late fireworks saw the Spaniard reach 10-under and overtake Nick Bachem, Jayden Schaper and Ryo Hisatsune at the top of the leaderboard.

Japan’s Hisatsune had set the early clubhouse target at nine-under in the morning, carding 10 birdies and two bogeys in his 63 — the lowest round of the week so far.

He was then joined at the summit in the afternoon, with German Bachem making four birdies and no bogeys in his 67 and South African Schaper signing for a 65 after following up seven birdies with a closing bogey.

American John Catlin, Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura and Spain’s Borja Virto were in a tie for fifth on eight-under.

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By Ryan Herrington
A lot of people talk about the Golf Gods and the cruel and peculiar ways they wreak havoc, mentally and physically, on unsuspecting lugs just trying to get their ball in the hole in as few a shots as possible. (That doesn’t include me, mind you, as I don’t dare directly talk about the sport’s mystical overseers, least they punish me with a case of the yips or the shanks. I instead refer to them indirectly, and strictly in the name of journalism.)

It wasn’t the Golf Gods, however, that necessarily got Nacho Elvira on Sunday at the Maybank Championship. More like Mother Nature. Elvira, seeking his first career European Tour win, had led heading into the final round at Saujana Golf & Country Club in Kaula Lumpur but was now one stroke back of Scott Hend, the 45-year-old Aussie competing with Elvira in the final group, as they were playing the 569-yard par-5 closing hole. Under ominous skies, the Spaniard was set to hit his third shot on the 18th, a short pitch just shy of the green. Yet just in the middle of his swing, a loud clap of thunder rolled through, distracting Elvira and causing him to leave his ball a disappointing 30 feet from the hole.

The European Tour originally had a video of the unfortunate coincidence posted on Twitter (which we embedded when we originally posted this story this morning), but the tour has since, disappointingly, taken it down. If you didn’t see it earlier this morning, it was pretty amazing how precisely as Elvira is about to hit the ball, you can hear the boom.

After that thunder, tournament officials, as John Huggan wrote in his piece about the conclusion of the final round, had no choice but to halt play and wait out the electricity in the area before letting them finish up. Hend was facing a 20-foot birdie try himself that could have ended the affair in regulation.

And wait they did … for 1 hour and 40 minutes. The delay could have rattled Elvira, but impressively the 32-year-old didn’t let it. When he returned to the course and face the crucial putt, he stepped up and created a jolt of his own.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!!@nachoelvira87 has drained it! pic.twitter.com/O1lfYU5FHQ

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 24, 2019

Hend could not top it, and the pair went to extra holes, the first playoff of the 2018-’19 European Tour season. But Elvira could not keep the momentum going, hitting into a greenside bunker on the playoff hole, a return to the 18th, and making a bogey to Hend’s birdie. Elvira will have to wait for the maiden victory some other day. In the meantime, we don’t blame him if he takes the Golf Gods Mother Nature’s name in vein.

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By John Huggan
He had to wait to claim the title at the Maybank Championship. Twice actually. But, in the end, it was worth it for Scott Hend. First, after a one-hour, 40-minute delay because of “dangerous weather” on the 72nd hole, the 45-year-old Florida-based Australian had returned to the 18th green at the Saujana Golf & Country Club in Kaula Lumpur to complete what looked like a fairly straightforward victory.

Maybe 25 feet away from the cup in three on the 569-yard par 5, Hend was 15 under par and one-shot clear of his playing partner, Nacho Elvira. The Spaniard was 30 feet or so out, also putting for birdie. And in it went. Two putts from Hend later, the European Tour had its first playoff of the 2018-’19 season.

The second test of Hend’s patience was a bit shorter. One hole to be exact. Bunkered off the tee on that same 18th, Elvira could do no better than par. And when the Aussie got up-and-down for birdie from a greenside bunker, he had his third career European Tour win.

“I had my mind on the job the whole time,” said the champion, who had lost two playoffs since his last victory at the 2016 Thailand Classic. “Nacho holed a magnificent putt to tie, which just shows that anything can happen in golf. I had to think he would hole it. But I still had a chance to win. I’m just glad it went my way.”

RELATED: Scott Hend purposely plays shot off grandstand, setting up an easy par

For the record, Hend shot a closing 67, overnight-leader Elvira 70. Jazz Janewattanond of Thailand was third alone on 13 under, with Oliver Fisher, the first and so far only man to shoot 59 on the European Tour, T-5 alongside Max Kieffer of Germany. Four-time major champion Ernie Els was one of a six-strong group tied for seventh. It was the 300th top-10 finish of the 49-year-old South African’s long professional career.

Of all the contenders though, Elvira was initially counting himself most unfortunate. Pitching to the 72nd green in what had rapidly turned into a torrential downpour, a loud clap of thunder disturbed the Spaniard’s backswing—the natural prelude to the lightning that left the tournament director with no alternative but to halt play—the ball coming up well short of its intended target. No matter. The putt that led to the playoff was never going anywhere else but the bottom of the cup.

Earlier, the leading pair had indulged in quite a battle. Elvira’s initial advantage was gone by the seventh green, the result of the big-hitting Hend’s four birdies to that point. One more birdie at the ninth saw the eventual champion out in 31 and ahead for the first time. Both men dropped their only shots of the day at the 10th, before another—predictable—Hend birdie at the par-5 13th established a two-shot edge that was halved by Elvira’s birdie at the penultimate hole.

He's done it!@hendygolf wins the 2019 Maybank Championship! ? pic.twitter.com/qZwGgSnIb3

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 24, 2019

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By John Huggan
Yes, the highest-ranked player in the field won, an end result that at first glance suggests an unsurprising mixture of inevitability and predictability. But Jon Rahm’s two-shot victory in the Open de España was, for long enough, far from straightforward. With two holes to play over the Centro Nacional de Golf course in Madrid, the World No. 4 was 19 under par for the week, tied with compatriot Nacho Elvira and two strokes clear of Irishman Paul Dunne, the overnight leader. Barring disasters all round, the destination of the historic trophy—first played for in 1912 and a part of the European Tour since 1972—was down to those three men.

Rahm first. With water running all the way down the left side of the short 17th, the powerful Basque played for his usual fade and aimed a little left of the pin. It didn’t take. The ball pitched on the bank left of the green and hung up in one of the few pieces of long grass bordering the lake. It was a huge piece of luck, one Rahm took advantage of. A deft chip-and-putt saved his par.

Elvira next. The 31-year-old Madrid native, a four-time winner on the second-tier European Challenge Tour, hit a similar shot to Rahm. Crucially, however, it landed maybe two yards further left and disappeared forever. The chip to save par lipped-out, and so did the three-foot putt for bogey.

As for Dunne, the British Masters champion could do no better than par. Suddenly, Rahm had a two-shot advantage over both of his nearest challengers. And when Rahm reduced the 527-yard par-5 final hole to no more than a drive and a short-iron approach en route to a routine birdie, the destination of the €250,000 first-place check was all but decided. As it turned out, Dunne’s closing birdie was enough to clinch second alone. Elvira took three to get down from beyond the final green.

Not surprisingly, Rahm was more than delighted at the close. But mixed with his obvious pleasure was a sense of relief. Followed by vast crowds around the rather bleak-looking municipal venue that had only eight weeks to prepare for an event that was missing from the European Tour schedule last year, the pre-tournament favourite was clearly feeling the pressure to succeed in front of his home fans. His putting on the clearly inconsistent greens betrayed his tension; all week, Rahm struggled on the bumpy surfaces.

Rahm needed a short iron for his second shot to the green on the par-5 18th hole, setting up a routine birdie for the win. (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Still, by the end, all of that was forgotten. Settled by a more than solid beginning to his day (he birdied his first two holes), Rahm immediately closed the two-stroke gap between himself and Dunne. Only once, at the short ninth, did he drop a shot in his closing five-under 67.

“This is hard to describe,” said a clearly emotional Rahm. “The feeling of pride and satisfaction is amazing. This is the hardest Sunday I have ever had to play. Everyone seemed to want me to win. I felt that. And it was hard to deal with. I tried to isolate myself, but I could feel it. So to win here is great.

Rahm was not looking to play too aggressively at first on Sunday. “But I hit four perfect shots on the first hole [for a birdie],” he said. “Then I just kept the good play going.

“My putting hasn’t been too great all week. But I gained a lot off the tee, which made up for a lot. There were a lot of key moments today. I chipped in on 10 for birdie, for example. But the three-foot putt on 17 for par was the most important. When I made that putt, I got on the 18th tee and hit my drive as hard as I could. I wanted the shortest club I could into the green. The drives I hit on 13, 15, 16 and 18 were absolute bombs.”

For the record, this was the 23-year-old Rahm’s third European Tour victory and his second national title, following his win in last year’s Irish Open. Fourth alone in last week’s Masters at Augusta National, one suspects he might just scrape his way on to the European Ryder Cup team come September.

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The six months since that memorable nine-stroke victory at Al Zorah in Ajman – save for his T-18 finish at Q-School – haven’t exactly gone to plan, seven straight missed cuts (including unwanted weekend’s off in Dubai, Oman and Qatar) culminating in further frustration at the Challenge Tour’s Kenyan Open late last month. But the 27-year-old Swede clearly has game bursting to get out as his performance at this week’s Open de España in Madrid illustrates.

Sturehed has a shot at a maiden European Tour title Sunday after rattling off scores of 67-68-66 at Centro Nacional de Golf to be -15 in one of the circuit’s more fabled championships. Whats more, he’ll do so in the company of world No. 4 and crowd favourite Jon Rahm in the penultimate group at 3.35pm (UAE time).

Related: Sturehed cruises to MENA Tour championship win

The MENA Tour peddles a “Making it Possible” hashtag and Sturehed is currently living that dream. Indeed, his third round 66 included two incredible shots good enough to claim first and third place in the shots of the day as judged by EuropeanTour.com. You can see them here, starting with a chip in on the 7th which earned third spot:

A bit of Swedish magic from Henric (not Henrik) ????#OpendeEspaña pic.twitter.com/H5SCIypA9d

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) April 14, 2018

And how about this near hole-out:

Strike ?
Distance ?
Spin control ? pic.twitter.com/OTNHNVtGyj

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) April 14, 2018

Sturehed will start the final round two shots adrift of Irishman and 2017 British Masters champion Paul Dunne (-17) who will play the final round with Rahm’s fellow Spaniard Nacho Elvira (-16).

The developmental Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Tour continues to fulfil its remit of giving up and coming professionals and amateurs high level playing opportunities in perfect conditions.

Very impressed with @theMENATour player @HenricSturehed‘s showing at the #OpenDeEspana Best wishes ahead of the final round playing with @JonRahmpga @EuropeanTour pic.twitter.com/Ig6pndmGtJ

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) April 15, 2018

“Henric’s performance underlines again why the MENA Tour is so important,” said MENA Tour co-founder David Spencer.

“As our MENA Tour patron Darren Clarke keeps telling all the players, you can practice all you want but you actually have to play in competitive circumstances to [have a chance of making the step up] and the tour is providing that opportunity. It’s also great to see the MENA Tour talked about on the global broadcast.

“This is the first cut Henric has made but that birdie on 18 yesterday to get into the penultimate group was extraordinary. He’s a star.”

Very proud of @theMENATour player @HenricSturehed !!Good luck tomorrow and enjoy playing with @JonRahmpga #OpenDeEspana #MakingItPossible @BUAMIMMj @DarrenClarke60

— David Spencer (@thestripegroup) April 14, 2018

OSN Sport 3HD will broadcast live coverage of the Open de España’s final round from 4pm (UAE time). It will be no cinch for the relatively inexperienced Swede, what with eight players within five shots of Dunne, Rahm included. But whatever happens, you can bet Spencer, his MENA Tour team and a swag of Sturehed’s peers will be glued.

Related: More reflected glory for MENA Tour as Clements cruises through Sunshine Tour Q-School

Cuts made on the European Tour – 1 (this week)
Shots off the lead after 54 holes – 2

Henric Sturehed is having the time of his life in Spain this week. pic.twitter.com/P9guCr6gLt

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) April 14, 2018

[divider] [/divider]

UPDATED: Henric Sturehed finished in a share of fifth place after closing with a 72.

The Swede, who started the final round two back, overcame a rough start with bogeys on the 3rd, 4th and 9th with gains on the 5th, 10th and 18th to finish on -15 alongside former European Tour winners Brett Rumford (Aus) and Mac Warren (Sco), five shots behind champion Jon Rahm.

Sturehed collected 49,650 for his first made cut on the European Tour after graduating from via Q-School last November.

Top playing by @HenricSturehed finishing 5th on @EuropeanTour this week. Winner of @theMENATour Tour Championship last year @BUAMIMMj @rejwilliams @thestripegroup #makingitpossible

— Zane (@ZaneScotland) April 15, 2018

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The 37-year-old Spaniard backed up his pace-setting 65 Thursday with a 67 at Emirates Golf Club early Saturday to be -12 for the championship, three shots clear of compatriot Nacho Elvira (68).

A 68 has Open champion Henrik Stenson lurking at -8 in a share of third place alongside South African George Coetzee while American Peter Uihlein and Englishman Chris Paisley are a shot further back. Ryder Cup veteran Ian Poulter is at -6.

In exciting news for the MENA Tour, Dubai-adopted India amateur Rayhan Thomas has survived a topsy-turvy second round to make his first European Tour cut at just his third attempt, some feat for a 17-year-old.

Resuming his second round at even par (-4 for the championship after Thursday’s sparking 68), Thomas teetered with a double bogey on the 5^th and further dropped shots on the 6^th, 10^th and 12^th before getting it back to -3. But the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club member threw away back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17 with a double bogey seven on the 18^th to eventually sign for a 75. Thankfully he’s still in the red at -1 for the championship, three shots inside the cut line at +1.

Rayhan Thomas has made the cut despite a topsy-turvy second round 75 – Getty Images

The top of the leaderboard is predictably dominated by those who found themselves on the right side of the draw for this bizarrely weather-impacted Desert Swing decider.

Garcia took advantage of the best of Thursday’s conditions and clearly didn’t mind being hooked from the Majlis course just five holes into his second round last night. He returned this morning to rattle off three successive birdies from the 6^th and then cancelled out a bogey on the long par 412^th with further gains on the 13^th and 16^th.

Coetzee had the lead at -9 when play was suspended on Thursday due to high winds and got it to -10 with a birdie on his first hole back, the par 5 18^th. But a bogey on the short par 4 2^nd and a double bogey on his final hole, the water-fringed 9^th, saw the 30-year-old, three-time European Tour winner sign for a second round 70.

Noteables to miss the cut include Qatar Masters champion Jeunghun Wang, out-going and incoming Ryder Cup captains Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson (all at +3).

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The wind wasn’t funny from the get go and when Tiger Woods, citing uncontrollable back spasms, withdrew from the $2.65m European Tour event just an hour before his second round tee time, the joke really fell flat.

To cap the craziness off, play was suspended at 2.26pm due to the high winds and, with trees falling, finally called for the day an hour later.

The second round was set to resume at 7.30am Saturday but this might yet prove a scheduling race against time for the organisers as much as a battle of attrition for the players with more wild weather forecast.

South African George Coetzee, three under through eight holes before play was suspended, will return to the 18^th hole in the lead at -9, a shot clear of overnight leader Sergio Garcia who was one under through five holes.

Fellow Spaniard Nacho Elvira (through four holes) was solo third at -6 and American David Lipsky at -5 (through seven).

Only 63 of the 129 players remaining in the field were able to complete their second rounds, among them German Martin Kaymer and Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello who carded sensational three-under 69s in the conditions to leapfrog 33 places into a share of fifth place at -4 and serious title contention.

The big news, inevitably, was Tiger’s scratching a day after he slumped to an opening 77, the worst of the his 29 competitive loops of the Majlis course by two strokes.

Sand engulfs the 8th fairway – Getty Images

The initial prognosis is optimistic with Mark Steinberg, the former world No.1’s agent, saying the lower back spasms were not connected to the three surgeries Woods has undergone, the last of them in August 2015.

Steinberg doesn’t expect the problem, which flared late Thursday night, to prevent Woods playing the Genesis Open at Riviera from February 16 but there is now clearly a huge question mark hanging over the 41-year-old’s future.

Kaymer, the co-clubhouse leader with Cabrera Bello, summed up the general feeling afterwards.

“Just sad for the golf tournament and sad for us players to see one of the best players, probably the best player in our era, it’s a shame to see,” the two-time major champion said of Tiger’s Dubai demise.

“On one hand, you want to see him play golf, and on the other hand you don’t want to see him struggling. It’s a tricky one.”

Agent Mark Steinberg fronts the media with news of Tiger Woods back injury – Photo: Clarkwin Cruz

Reigning Open champion Henrik Stenson didn’t seem surprised by Woods withdrawal.

“Well, I think with the start he had, I think he had a lot of work to do to play the rest of the week all the way,” the Swede, in a temporary share of fifth at -4 through five second round holes, said.

“Again, it’s a question of him being healthy. I mean, if he’s going to be out here playing, you’ve got to be 100 percent. Once again, he needs to take care of his injuries obviously.”

For the record, Shinkwin, captured by Getty Images’ Warren Little in the strangely poetic main picture, was +5 with nine holes of his second round to play. The projected cut was +1.

Dubai-adopted Indian amateur Rayhan Thomas, a star on day one with his 68, was even par through three holes of his second round.

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