Hideki Matsuyama misses out on chance for Phoenix hat-trick

Hideki Matsuyama's bid for a third consecutive victory at the Waste Management Phoenix Open has come to a disappointing end after he was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Matsuyama underwent treatment for a wrist problem prior to beginning his second round at TPC Scottsdale, but he made the decision to pull out prior to his tee time.

The world No 5 revealed to Japanese media that he started feeling pain in his wrist after 13 holes of his first round, and he had his wrist taped to get through the day.

But he was still in discomfort as he hit balls on the practice range on day two, and he made the decision to pull out rather than risk further damage to his wrist.

"I did some treatment last night, but the pain was still there this morning when I practised," Matsuyama said. "I decided that it was not worth forcing myself to continue to play and worsen the injury, so I was very disappointed that I had to withdraw.

"As much as I wanted to continue to play and with the three-peat in mind, the pain was just too much," added the 25-year-old, who is scheduled to have a week off before returning to the PGA Tour at the Genesis Open.

The Japanese ace has dominated the tournament over the last two seasons and won both after play-offs, beating Rickie Fowler in 2016 before edging out Webb Simpson in extra holes 12 months ago.

Matsuyama, who was also joint-runner up in Arizona three years ago, had made a solid start to the defence of his title as he opened with a two-under 69 while playing alongside Fowler and Simpson.

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Matsuyama was aiming to become only the second player after the late, great Arnold Palmer to win the Phoenix Open three times in a row, with Palmer achieving the feat between 1961 and 1963.