Australian Steve Elkington withdrew from the U.S. Open golf championship on Wednesday due to a sinus condition, organizers said.

Elkington, the winner of the 1995 PGA Championship whose career has been plagued by sinus and allergy problems, was replaced in the 156-man Open field by Rory Sabatini of South Africa.

Sabatini, the second alternate qualifier for the championship, will be playing in his first U.S. Open when the tournament begins on Thursday.

The 24-year-old native of Durban, who now lives in Tucson, Arizona, is in his second year on the U.S. PGA Tour, where he has yet to win an event. He was second in the Bob Hope Classic this year and had two third-place finishes last year.