The 149th Open: Former Champion Golfer Zach Johnson withdraws after testing positive for Covid-19

Former Champion Golfer Zach Johnson is part of the latest group of players to withdraw from The 149th Open at Royal St George's.

The 2015 winner of the Claret Jug has been forced to skip the final men's major of the year after testing positive for Covid-19 ahead of the tournament.

South African Louis de Jager has also had to miss the event due to a positive coronavirus test, with compatriot Dylan Frittelli and England's Sam Horsfield replacing the pair in the field.

Ryan Moore, a last-minute qualifier after a tied-second finish at the John Deere Classic last week, is recovering from a back injury and has elected against traveling to the UK, with Adam Long replacing him.

The R&A announced last week that they were adjusting their reserve list process this year, due to the current requirements for travel to the UK, with any further withdrawals being replaced by the leading golfers in last week's Scottish Open who are not already exempt.

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Australia's Wade Ormsby is now first on the reserve list, should there be any further withdrawals, with France's Matthieu Pavon and Ryder Cup winner Ross Fisher the next alternates.

The latest withdrawals come a day on from reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and two-time major winner Bubba Watson confirming they would not take part due to coronavirus, with 2001 champion David Duval also skipping the event.

Matthew Wolff, KH Lee, Danny Lee, Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kim and Kevin Na are among the other qualifiers who have have elected not to travel to Kent for this year's contest.

Watch The Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports' dedicated channel - Sky Sports The Open! Live coverage from the opening round begins on Thursday from 6.30am.

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