Collin Morikawa withdraws after one hole of The Players Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — One of the favorites at this week’s Players Championship managed to play just one hole before withdrawing from the PGA Tour’s flagship event.

Collin Morikawa, the world’s fourth-ranked player who won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month, said he felt his back tighten before teeing off on the par-5 11th, his second hole of the day.

“I felt fine in warm-up. Like nothing’s been any signs of back problems. And teed it up on 11, and took one practice swing, and I just knew it was gone. Like I just had the feeling before when it’s happened. And I just, I can’t swing through it,” Morikawa said. “Trust me, I would play if I could. It’s just the worst thing in the world.”

Morikawa said this type of injury has sidelined him before and that there was no indication it was going to happen today.

“I’ve had this stuff before, and been healthy all throughout the year, been moving weight and pushing, going fast,” he said. “I took the practice swing and immediately knew, like, I just couldn’t get through impact. At that point called over my trainer, and talked about it with my caddie Mark [Urbanek], and it just sucks. I don’t know how to put it in words.”

Morikawa is the second high-profile player to be impacted by an ailing back this week. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy withdrew after two rounds at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational with back spasms and didn’t arrive to TPC Sawgrass until Wednesday afternoon. He said it will be a “game-time decision” to play this week’s Players Championship.