Hideki Matsuyama withdraws from BMW Championship: FedEx Cup No. 3 ruled out with lower back injury
Hideki Matsuyama has withdrawn from the 2024 BMW Championship, citing a lower back injury. After opening the tournament with a five-under 67, Matsuyama found himself just one stroke off the first-round pace set by Keegan Bradley. Entering Week 3 of the FedEx Cup, Matsuyama had his eyes on the possibility of climbing even higher but is now in danger of falling ahead of next week’s season finale at the Tour Championship.
“I am disappointed to have to withdraw from the BMW Championship after suffering lower back pain during warm-up this morning, which prevented me from playing,” Matsuyama said in a statement. “Thank you BMW and the Western Golf Association for providing me with a wonderful experience at Castle Pines.”
Matsuyama arrives in Colorado fresh off his second win of the season and his first FedEx Cup Playoffs victory at the St. Jude Championship. Beating Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland, the Olympic bronze medalist climbed to third in the FedEx Cup standings — his career high at this stage of the season.
With no FedEx Cup points this week, Matsuyama could be overtaken by Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Åberg, Sahith Theegala, Patrick Cantlay and Sungjae Im if one of them wins, as they are all less than 2,000 points behind the Japanese man.
Despite Matsuyama’s strong season, which included not only a win in Memphis but also a six-shot comeback win at the Genesis Invitational in February, the 32-year-old hasn’t been immune to injury. After arriving at the venue before the tournament, Matsuyama withdrew from the Wells Fargo Championship before teeing off in Round 1. His WD win at the BMW Championship marked his second consecutive appearance in the event and seventh since the start of the 2021 season.
