Jay Monahan’s PGA Tour Burdened With Withdrawals Yet Again Weeks Before the Masters

Inclement weather disrupting the rounds and numerous withdrawals before and during the events, are two things that are becoming quite a trend on the PGA Tour. Even the Valspar Championship, which just crowned Peter Malnati as the victor, was also dubbed as a failure after more than five golfers withdrew from the event during different stages.

Like the usual PGA Tour events, the Texas Children’s Houston Open will also have a regular 144-field size. The event is scheduled to start on March 28 at Memorial Park Golf Course and is the second last event before the Masters in April. While Tony Finau will be looking forward to defending his 2022 title, before all that happens, two players have already exited the event.

The Jay Monahan-led PGA Tour Communications posted a tweet saying that the Taiwanese golfer, Kevin Yu has withdrawn from the Houston Open. His spot will be filled by American pro Scott Piercy. A day later another withdrawal update followed.

After three hours, the Communications page shared another tweet, this time notifying that golfer-turned-pilot, Maverick McNealy also withdrew from the Texas Children’s Houston Open. The PGA Tour did not reveal the reasons behind any of these exits from the Memorial Park Golf Course field. He will be replaced by Chinese golfer Zecheng Dou.

Both Piercy and Dou, who have conditional status on the PGA Tour, will play the Texas Children’s Houston Open. The event still has three more days till it officially starts and has already seen two withdrawals. This isn’t good news for the PGA Tour after Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas opted out of the event earlier, amidst Tiger Woods’s PGA Tour hiatus.

Earlier during the Valspar Championship last week, Camilo Villegas, Justin Lower, and Erik Barnes, withdrew from the event following their first-day scores of 5-over par 76, 77(+6), and 9-over par 79. They were followed by Pierceson Coody and David Bradshaw, who confirmed their withdrawal after the second-round suspension of play. Even prior to the tournament, three pros J.B. Holmes, Aaron Wise, and Garrick Higgo had pulled out.

In fact, the PLAYERS Championship also saw withdrawals of Garrick Higgo due to a wrist injury and Tom Kim due to illness. This trend will be a worry for Monahan, with the Masters Tournament scheduled for April 11. But all is not doom and gloom.

The field at Texas Children’s Houston Open will witness one prominent e returning to the Memorial Park Golf Course after many days.

World number one headlines the Texas Children’s Houston Open field 

The highest-ranked golfer in the field at the Texas Children’s Houston Open will be the 8-time PGA Tour winner, Scottie Scheffler. The Dallas resident recently won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the PLAYERS Championship in back-to-back weeks and set several records on the PGA Tour.

Read More: Justin Thomas Laments the Lack of ‘Tiger-Like’ Killer Instincts on the PGA Tour; Concedes Scheffler’s ‘Dominance’ With 4-Word Verdict

However, shortly after, Scheffler took a break after his victories and missed the Valspar Championship. But now, he will be returning to the Memorial Park GC after three years as Scheffler last played the Houston Open in 2020 where he finished T32. Apart from Scheffler, the tournament will also see the likes of Wyndham Clark, Will Zalatoris, and Gary Woodland.

At the newly sponsored Houston Open, Scottie Scheffler will hope to clinch one more silverware to adorn his shelf of trophies. Amidst the withdrawals, golf fans will hope to see a successful event, with Monahan a likely keen watcher.

Read More: Jon Rahm Eyes ‘Masters’ Clash With ‘Great Competitor’ Scottie Scheffler, Admits Being ‘Impressed’ Despite No 2024 Faceoffs