A lower back problem has forced Hideki Matsuyama to withdraw from the BMW Championship just ahead of the second round in Colorado.
The Japanese golfer shot a five-under 67 at Castle Pines Golf Club to sit just a shot behind leader Keegan Bradley after the first round, but suffered back pain while warming up for round two on Friday morning.
The former Masters champion came into the event in great form after winning the FedEx St Jude Championship last week, and after a fine start was a favourite to contend again.
But after warming up, he said the back pain he felt made it "impossible to play" in the second round, so was forced to withdraw from the tournament.
"I am disappointed to have to withdraw from the BMW Championship after experiencing lower back discomfort while warming up this morning, which made it impossible to play today," Matsuyama said in a statement.
"Thank you to BMW and the Western Golf Association for a great experience here at Castle Pines."
Matsuyama teed off at Castle Pines in third place in the FedEx Cup standings, with only Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler ahead of him.
Winning the first FedEx Cup Playoffs event last week gave him an added bump up the standings, after previously winning the Genesis Invitational back in February.
Statement on behalf of Hideki Matsuyama: pic.twitter.com/dFtcDJVG5AAugust 23, 2024
The full extent of his injury has not been disclosed, but despite withdrawing from the BMW Championship, Matsuyama will still be able to play in next week's Tour Championship if he is fit.
His place in the standings is secure enough that even with collecting no points this week he'll still be in the top 30 that will make it to the final event at East Lake.
The timing of the injury is still a concern for Matsuyama though, with not only the Tour Championship coming up next week but also the President's Cup on the horizon next month.
Matsuyama is set to be one of the International Team's leaders and he was obviously in a rich vein of form when you throw in the bronze medal he won at the 2024 Paris Olympics before then going on to win the St Jude.
