Matsuyama out of Players Championship with back injury

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama withdrew from The Players Championship on Thursday because of a back injury.

The PGA Tour did not disclose the nature of the injury. He withdrew about an hour before he was to tee off on the TPC Sawgrass.

Matsuyama is a month away from his title defense at Augusta National. He became the first Japanese man to win a major last year at the Masters.

He is one of two players who already have multiple wins this season, having won the Zozo Championship in Japan last fall and the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.

Matsuyama was replaced in the field by Patrick Rodgers.

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