Aaron Wise, former Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour, announced on Friday that he has withdrawn from the 2023 Masters. Wise has announced via social media that plans to pause competition to focus on health. his spirit, and as such, would be a shortcoming for the 87th Masters. With his departure, the field now has 88 players.
“Sorry, I’m withdrawing masters today,” Wise posted. “Golf is as much a mental game as it is a game of physical skill, and the mental part of it has been a struggle for me lately. I don’t take lightly the importance of playing at Augusta, but know that I need to take the time to focus on my mental health so I can return to playing at a level I’m proud of.”
The 26-year-old qualified for Augusta National via two paths as he ranked in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings at the end of 2022 as well as the week before the Masters.
After going through a strong 2021-22 season when he finished T13 at the 2022 Tour Championship and was considered by some to join the US team at the Presidents Cup, the world No. 45 has struggled a lot. many in 2023. Wise has only been shortlisted once in an all-court stroke event: the Honda Classic in February. In his final match, Wise took a 1-2-0 record at the WGC-Dell Match Play and failed to make it past the group stage.
Wise is not the first player to be out of action for mental health reasons. Matthew Wolff, another young player, retired in the spring of 2021. Wolff was disqualified from the 2021 Masters when he signed the wrong scoreboard after the second round and returned three months later at the US Open in Torrey. Pines, where he competed in the week before the end of T15.
