One month from Masters defense, Hideki Matsuyama withdraws from The Players

Masters champion HIdeki Matsuyama withdrew around one hour before the start of his opening round at The Players Championhship, citing a back injury. The PGA Tour did not disclose the nature of the injury.

Matsuyama is one month away from his title defense at Augusta National, where he became the first Japanese man to win a major. He has won twice this season, including the Zozo Championship in Japan in the fall and the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.

Full-field scores from The Players Championship

Matsuyama was replaced in the field by Patrick Rodgers.