The 11 golfers to fly the SA flag at the Open

Cape Town - The 148th Open Championship gets under way at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland on Thursday.

This year there will be 11 South Africans in the field.

READ: Oosthuizen paired with Koepka at Open Championship

The last time a South African lifted the famed Claret Jug was in 2012 when Ernie Els won by single stroke at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

1. Ernie Els

Age - 49

World ranking - 339

Best Open - Win (2002, 2012)

How he qualified - Open winners aged 60 or under

2. Louis Oosthuizen

Age - 36

World ranking - 22

Best Open - Win (2010)

How he qualified - Open winner aged 60 or under, Top 50 player on the OWGR

3. Justin Harding

Age - 33

World ranking - 50

Best Open - Missed cut

How he qualified - Top 50 player on the OWGR

4. Branden Grace

Age - 31

World ranking - 67

Best Open - T6 (2017)

How he qualified - Top 100 player on the OWGR

5. Erik van Rooyen

Age - 29

World ranking - 84

Best Open - T17 (2018)

How he qualified - Top 5 players within the top 20 of the 2019 Race to Dubai

6. Dylan Frittelli

Age - 29

World ranking - 92

Best Open - Missed cut

How he qualified - Won the John Deere Classic

7. Shaun Norris

Age - 37

World ranking - 123

Best Open - T61 (2018)

How he qualified - Top 2 on the 2018 Japan Golf Tour Official Money List

8. Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Age - 25

World ranking - 140

Best Open - Debut

How he qualified - Won the Andalucía Masters

9. Richard Sterne

Age - 37

World ranking - 149

Best Open - T21 (2013)

How he qualified - Top 5 players within the top 20 of the 2019 Race to Dubai

10. Brandon Stone

Age - 26

World ranking - 178

Best Open - T61 (2018)

How he qualified - Top 30 on the 2018 Race to Dubai

11. Zander Lombard

Age - 24

World ranking - 276

Best Open - T66 (2016)

How he qualified - Winner of the 2018/19 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit

All images: Gallo/Getty