Justin Thomas withdraws from PGA Championship with wrist injury
Justin Thomas withdrew from the PGA Championship on Monday due to an injury in his right wrist, he announced on Twitter.
“Unfortunately, I will be withdrawing from the 101st PGA Championship at Bethpage Black this week as my wrist is not yet fully healed,” Thomas tweeted. “Obviously, as a past champion, this tournament is extra special to me. It consistently has the strongest field in golf and I’m disappointed to not be among those competing this year but I’m optimistic about a return in the near future.”
Thomas first hurt his wrist during The Honda Classic in March after playing an awkward shot, and has battled the injury ever since. He has played in three events since then, and most recently finished in a tie for 12th at the Masters last month.
The 26-year-old, who won the PGA Championship in 2017, has five top-10 finishes already this year — including three straight in February at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, the Genesis Open and the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. The nine-time Tour winner last won at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August.
Kelly Kraft will take Thomas’ place in the tournament. The 30-year-old has missed four of his last five cuts, though finished in a tie for 13th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April.
The PGA Championship kicks off on Thursday at Bethpage Black in New York, which is hosting the event for the first time. Ninety-nine of the top 100 in the World Golf Rankings are set to compete in the annual event, including defending champion Brooks Koepka and Tiger Woods — who is making his first return to the Tour since winning the Masters last month.
More from Yahoo Sports:
