Premier League cult hero and TV star, 45, pulls out of qualifying tournament for place in The Open

FORMER Premier League midfielder Jimmy Bullard was forced to withdraw from a qualification tournament for The Open after suffering an injury.

Bullard was set to participate in Regional Qualifying for The Open – one of golf’s four majors – at Rochester and Cobham Park on Monday.

The former Hull star plays golf to a scratch handicap and regularly takes on famous faces as a part of YouTube channel GOLF LIFE.

Bullard, 45, previously attempted to qualify for The Open in 2013 immediately after he retired from football.

In fact, he missed out by four shots at the regional stage.

But his bid this time round came to a premature end after an ongoing back injury forced him to pull out from qualifying.

Bullard told his 500k Instagram followers: “We’ve had to pull out today for the Road to the Open. We had a load going down there. We’ve left it as long as possible.

“My back is completely gone. I haven’t hit any balls for three weeks. I apologise. We’re all gutted. I might cry in the minute.

“We will be back next year. It’s just my body has broken down.”

Any scratch handicapper can attempt to qualify for The Open – which is taking place at Royal Troon in Scotland on July 18-21.

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Speaking to the last month Bullard said: “I’ve been around some Open qualifiers.

“I’ve caddied for some players and I know that one or two-under can get you in. I’ve got that in my locker.

“When I play and I’m on it, I’ve got that. I know I have. That’s all it’ll need.”

The Open process sees a field of approximately 2,000 hopefuls whittled down until at least 16 are granted entry to the tournament proper.

Others to attempt the switch include former Chelsea captain John Terry, who played in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am last year.

And former Real Madrid and Wales forward Gareth Bale lined up alongside the pros at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2023.

Bullard recently spent six years as a presenter on Sky Sports’ Soccer AM – which aired its final show in May 2023.

He scored 14 Premier League goals and was adored by fans for his upbeat personality.

The former midfielder gained cult hero status following his iconic ‘team talk’ celebration after equalising against Manchester City in 2009.

Funny man Bullard sat his team-mates down in a circle around him before wagging his finger at them.

The celebration was a response to his manager Phil Brown’s infamous reaction to his side conceding four first-half goals in the same fixture the previous season.

He also played for Peterborough United, Ipswich Town and MK Dons.