The Players Championship: Brooks Koepka withdraws from PGA Tour event due to knee injury
World No 12 Brooks Koepka to sit out of PGA Tour's flagship event at TPC Sawgrass due to a strain in his right knee; Watch The Players Championship live from March 11-14 live on Sky Sports' dedicated Players channel
Monday 8 March 2021 08:19, UK
Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from The Players Championship due to a knee injury.
The former world No 1 has previously struggled with an injury to his left knee, seeing him miss several months of the 2019-20 PGA Tour season and also withdraw from September's US Open, although his latest setback is in the opposite knee.
Koepka, who won the Waste Management Phoenix Open last month and finished tied-second in his last start at the WGC-Workday Championship, will be replaced in the 154-player field by Anirban Lahiri.
"Brooks strained his right knee and he is scheduled to further consult with doctors this week to receive a more extensive evaluation and outlook," said Blake Smith, Koepka's manager. "We will be able to provide additional updates and information as we learn more."
Koepka had surgery to repair a partially torn patella tendon in his left knee in 2019 and returned to action in Abu Dhabi the following January, only to be further troubled by more knee problems and a left hip injury.
The 30-year-old underwent further stem cell therapy in his left knee after failing to qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship and has previously said he was back to full strength, with the right-knee injury coming just weeks after ending his 18-month winless run on the PGA Tour.
Koepka's withdrawal means the field now includes 48 of the top 50 in both the FedExCup standings and the world rankings, with Matthew Wolff the only other player not currently set to feature.
The Players Championship Live
Kramer Hickok is now the first alternate should there be any further withdrawals, followed by John Huh, Norway's Kristoffer Ventura and American Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker.
Watch the Players Championship live from March 11-14 on Sky Sports' dedicated channel - Sky Sports The Players!
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