The penultimate event of the FedEx Cup playoffs, that is, the BMW Championship, is officially halfway through. With the two rounds already taking place and the two rounds remaining, the leaderboard looks interesting, as does the field. The BMW Championship started out with 50 players on the field, but the number of players competing during the weekend has officially been reduced by 1.
The reason? A PGA Tour pro had to withdraw from the Olympia Field Country Club event after a severe injury. Let us find out more about what went down that forced the former Augusta champion to withdraw from the $20 million event.
The 2021 Masters champion Tour Championship long streak ends
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Hideki Matsuyama, who became the first Japanese golfer to win a major golf tournament, has been a part of the Tour Championship in the FedEx Cup Playoffs for 10 consecutive years. Sadly, his decade-long streak has come to an end this year.
It all began on Friday, when Matsuyama heard a pop on the right side of his lower back before his tee time. The 31-year-old golfer was practicing before the second round. In the middle of his warm-up session, he unfortunately heard a popping sound in the lower part of his back.
Following that, the golfer faced extreme discomfort in the right side of his lower back after the sound and could not continue with even his warm-up session. His sudden back injury and severe pain invariably forced the golfer to withdraw from the BMW Championship and discontinue the longest active streak for the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour.
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Though the golfer has withdrawn from the championship, his first day on the course was just fine, with 1 over 71 and no sign of any injury. This isn’t the first time that a golfer has withdrawn from a significant event because of an injury. At the first major of the year, one of the best ever to grace the game withdrew due to an injury.
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The 2023 Masters tournament witnessed a saddening withdrawal
Fans were excited to witness Tiger Woods on the course at the beginning of this year at the Masters in Georgia. The 15-time major champion also made the cut, but unfortunately had to withdraw from the tournament during the third round.
Woods’ ankle pain because of his plantar fasciitis rekindled during the round, and it suddenly became very troublesome for the golf great to compete. As a result, he sadly withdrew from the tournament. The golfer has not competed in any event since, and his fans are still waiting to see him compete on the course.
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What do you think of Hideki Matsuyama’s withdrawal from the BMW Championship? Let us know in the comments below!
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