Jose Maria Olazabal to miss out on final Open qualifier

Olazabal has played in 21 Open championships and won two majors

European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal could miss next month's Open after he withdrew from the final qualifying competition at Littlestone.

The 45-year-old has struggled with arthritic pains for over 15 years and has also pulled out of the French Open.

He can still qualify for the Open at Sandwich with a top-five finish at next week's Scottish Open.

Olazabal finished third in the Open in 1992 and 2005 and will lead Europe's Ryder Cup team in Medinah next year.

The Spaniard last played in an Open in 2006 at the Royal Liverpool course.

Former US Open champion Michael Campbell is among 288 players competing over 36 holes at the Littlestone qualifying competition in Kent for just 12 Open places.