(Memphis) Hideki Matsuyama has withdrawn from the St. Jude Championship due to a neck injury, but hopes to return to action before the FedEx Cup playoffs are complete.
Posted at 12:35 p.m.
Matsuyama, the first Japanese to win a major, has won two PGA Tour events this season. He starts the FedEx Cup qualifiers as 11e first in the series. He will slip in the classification since the quadruple of the points is distributed during the playoffs.
His priority, however, will be healing from injuries that have been bothering him since March.
The former Masters Tournament champion sat out the Players Championship and the Dell match-play tournament due to his neck injury. He recently withdrew from the 3m Open after a first round of 77 three weeks ago due to a wrist injury.
“I think it’s the best decision so that I can get neck treatments and compete in the BMW Championship and the Circuit Championship,” Matsuyama said of his decision not to travel to Memphis.
The top 70 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings from the St. Jude Championship will compete in the BMW Championship the following week. Then, the top-30 will be invited to the Circuit Championship, a week later in Atlanta.