By Frank Pingue
AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) – Former runner-up Will Zalatoris has withdrawn from the Masters due to injury prior to starting his first round on Thursday.
World number eight Zalatoris was scheduled to tee off at 1:24 p.m. ET (1724 GMT) in a group with reigning U.S. Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick and twice major winner Collin Morikawa.
Zalatoris was the only player to shoot under par in all four rounds at Augusta National in 2021 but his bid to become the first Masters debutant since 1979 to slip on the Green Jacket came up short as he finished one shot behind Hideki Matsuyama.
The 26-year-old American finished in a share of sixth at last year’s Masters and came into the year’s first major having recorded one top-10 finish in seven PGA Tour events played this season.
Zalatoris is the second player to withdraw from the Masters on Thursday as LIV Golf’s Kevin Na reached the turn at four-over-par 40 before calling it a day.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Augusta, Georgia, editing by Prith Sarkar)
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