Collin Morikawa will not be teeing it up in San Antonio.
Morikawa, 29, officially withdrew from this week’s Valero Texas Open on Tuesday in what was scheduled to be his first start since sustaining an injury at The Players Championship.
During the first round at TPC Sawgrass, Morikawa took a practice swing before teeing off on his second hole of the day before immediately reaching for his back and walking away in visible discomfort.
“I felt fine in warm-up. Like no signs of back problems. And teed it up on 11, and took one practice swing, and I just knew it was gone,” Morikawa said after ending his Players Championship after just one hole. “Like I just had the feeling before when it’s happened. And I just, I can’t swing through it. Trust me, I would play if I could. It’s just the worst thing in the world.”
Three weeks later, the two-time major champion is still “experiencing residual effects” from the injury, according to the PGA Tour, and as a result will now skip out on the Valero from TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course.
The news comes just days before Morikawa is scheduled to arrive on property grounds at Augusta National next week, putting his status in doubt for the first major championship of the season.
Frankie Capan III will take Morikawa’s place in the field as an alternate for this week’s tournament.
Morikawa got back in the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour at Pebble Beach in February, ending a 28-month drought with a victory at the Signature Event.
Since then, the eighth-ranked golfer in the world had posted finishes of T7 and a solo fifth at the Genesis and the Arnold Palmer before withdrawing from The Players.
As of Tuesday, Morikawa remains in the field for the Masters.
In five career starts at Augusta, Morikawa owns three top-10s and has not missed a cut. He posted a T14 finish there last year.
Watch coverage of the Valero Texas Open LIVE Thursday at 8:15 a.m. ET / 5:15 a.m. with a subscription to TSN+.
