The Open 2025: When Christiaan Bezuidenhout sipped from drinks bottle that contained rat poison

Christiaan Bezuidenhout is used to overcoming the odds.

At the age of two, the South African was left fighting for his life after taking a sip from a soft drink bottle he found on the street at home that contained rat poison.

“Somehow I managed to open it and took a sip,” said Bezuidenhout.

“At the hospital they basically told my parents we got there just in time. It was a matter of minutes.”

Bezuidenhout, who earned a five-way share of the lead at The Open after the first round, had expected the bottle to contain Coca-Cola, but it had been repurposed to hold the rat poison.

The then toddler escaped alive, but the impact of the incident was life-changing.

The 31-year-old was left with a damaged nervous system and a severe stammer, which saw him subjected to bullying throughout his education in Delmas – a small town east of Johannesburg.

It makes his sporting career all the more remarkable as he looks to build on being an early joint-leader at Royal Portrush.

Bezuidenhout finished his opening round with a four-under 67, in a five-way tie for first place.

Whether he can last the distance remains to be seen, but Bezuidenhout – a three-time title winner on the DP World Tour – is well versed in defying expectations.