Tiger Woods continued his practice rounds at Augusta National Golf Club on Wednesday morning, stating that "Everything's good..." about his early-morning prep, per USA Today. (Source: USA Today)
Fantasy Impact: The superstar has not competed in any PGA event since his previous T39 finish at Augusta National in November 2020. That was the year Dustin Johnson won, albeit without fans, following Woods' miraculous comeback win at 13-under-par in 2019. After surviving a car crash that damaged his foot and ankle last year, the 46-year old has been rehabbing daily. Woods has been seen simulating practice rounds near his home in Florida and has spent several days practicing at Augusta with current and retired PGA players. All signs indicate that Woods will return in search of his sixth Green Jacket, barring any late setbacks with his leg.
Thu, Feb 3rd 2:34pm EST
By Matthew MacKay
Daniel Berger withdrew from the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament on Wednesday due to a back injury. (Source: Essentially Sports on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The defending champion had practiced earlier Wednesday before withdrawing due to sustaining a back injury. Kevin Stadler has subsequently replaced Berger. In previous years, Berger earned a top-ten finish in all three appearances at Pebble Beach and has looked elite, finishing T5 and T20 during two events in January. Expect him to return well-rested and ready to compete for a top-five finish at the WM Phoenix Open next week.
Carlos Ortiz (shoulder) has withdrawn from the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open and will be out for the remainder of the Fall portion of the PGA Tour to recover from a left shoulder injury. (Source: Richard Dean of the Houston Chronicle)
Fantasy Impact: The 30-year old Mexican native had his best outing of the season despite playing through a left shoulder injury at Mayakoba, carding rounds of 67-65-67-66 to finish in second place at 19-under-par. Ortiz was slated to return as the defending champion at the HPE Houston Open, where he yielded a 13-under-par performance to win by two strokes.
Ian Poulter withdrew from the World Golf Championship - HSBC Champions tournament, following his second round. Apparently he had a painful cyst pop up on his wrist, and it was enough to affect his golf-game this week.
Fantasy Impact: Poulter struggled to find any momentum during his first two rounds in China. He opened on Thursday with a one-over 73, then followed it up with a two-over 74 on Friday. This is disappointing news, as he was a popular play on DFS due to his recent success.
Pat Perez withdrew from the Houston Open prior to his first round on Thursday. He cited a wrist injury as the reason for his withdrawal.
Fantasy Impact: This is disappointing news for anyone that used him in DFS this week. He was coming off of a third place finish at the Shriners Open last week.
Matt Jones withdrew prior to his round two on Friday at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He cited a back injury as the reason for his withdrawal.
Fantasy Impact: Jones was coming off of a solid T-10 showing at the Greenbrier Classic last week. He shot a three-over 75 on Thursday prior to his withdrawal on Friday and clearly his swing was just not right.
Marc Leishman withdrew from the Greenbrier Classic after his first round on Thursday. He cited a back injury as the reason for his withdrawal.
Fantasy Impact: Leishman was one of the most expensive golfers in DFS so this news is certainly crushing for fantasy owners. The talented Aussie will most likely take a couple weeks off to recover.
Sam Burns (back) withdraws from the Memorial Tournament. (Source: PGA Tour Communications on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Burns shot a nine-over 81 on Thursday, before withdrawing from the tournament due to a back injury. The extent of the injury is unknown, and it remains to be seen if he will be on the field for next week's RBC Canadian Open.
Ernie Els (back) withdraws from the Memorial Tournament. (Source: PGA Tour Communications on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Els made it through round one of the Memorial Tournament before withdrawing due to a back injury. The specifics of his back injury are unknown, and will look to return to the tour after he's back to 100 percent.
Mon, May 27th 1:52pm EDT
By Brad Camara
Justin Thomas (wrist) is listed in the field for this week's Memorial Tournament. (Source: PGATour.com)
Fantasy Impact: Thomas who withdrew from the PGA Championship due to a wrist injury, is listed in the field for this week's Memorial Tournament. He has not appeared in tournament action since he finished T-12 at the Masters. He has finished T4-T8 the last two seasons at the Memorial Championship. Thomas currently ranks first on Tour in birdie average and second in SG: Tee-to-Green.
Louis Oosthuizen was a late withdrawal from the Charles Schwab Challenge due to a neck injury. (Source: PGA Tour Communications on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Oosthuizen's withdrawal came after the start of the tournament, this is a tough break for anyone who used him in DFS. Kelly Kraft replaced him in the field.
Grayson Murray announced on his personal Instagram that's he's stepping away from the tour for six months due to a back injury. (Source: Grayson Murray on Instagram)
Fantasy Impact: Murray was forced to withdraw from the Valero Texas Open with a back injury, and now will not return until the 2019-2020 season. His best highlights of the season included a T12 at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club, and a T41 at the Safeway Open.
Julian Etulain withdrew from the Valero Texas Open after one round due to a wrist injury. (Source: PGA Tour Communications on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Etulain shot a first-round 70 before removing himself from the tournament. He will not be on the field for the Masters, it remains to be seen when he will play next.
Kyoung-Hoon Lee is a WD during R2 (hip). @ValsparChamp (Source: PGA TOUR Communications )
Fantasy Impact: Lee was +8 after Thursday so take this WD with a grain of salt. It has been an inconsistent start to the season for the PGA Tour rookie.
Fri, Mar 15th 7:00pm EDT
By Corwin M Parker
Disappointingly, I had to WD from my first @thePlayersChamp. I’ve been dealing with some tightness in my back throughout the week and it spasmed up pretty good today. My team and I decided it was best not to take any unnecessary risks. Good luck to the guys this weekend! (Source: Cameron Champ Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Champ had a rough first go at Sawgrass On Thursday as he fired an opening round 81. He was two over par through eight holes on Friday before making the decision to stop play. This will be something to monitor as a young player with an aggressive move like Champ is certainly more susceptible to back issues (see: Tiger Woods). Hopefully he was just a little tight and wanted to head home and lick his wounds following a rough showing.
J.J. Spaun is a WD after round one of @THEPLAYERSChamp. (Source: PGA TOUR Communications )
Fantasy Impact: No official reason has been given for the early exit. Spaun called it quits after signing for 76 with two double bogeys, three birdies and three bogeys.
Kevin Na withdraws from Sentry Tournament of Champions due to a finger injury. Na has a fracture in his right finger and will miss at least four weeks. Right now, he could return for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. (Source: The GolfChannel)
Fantasy Impact: Na can be left off fantasy lineups for the month of January.
Jim Herman will miss at least the next few months after undergoing surgery on his injured foot to repair plantar fasciitis. Herman will now miss the Valspar and is unlikely to return before the US Open. (Source: Jim Herman on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Herman can obviously be taken out of your lineups this week at the Valspar and could be someone to avoid even when he does return in the summer.
Brooks Koepka has been ruled out indefinitely due to a partial tendon tear in his left wrist. Koepka will not play until the Masters at the earliest after his dead last finish at the Sentry TOC to open the year. (Source: ESPN.com)
Fantasy Impact: This effectively rules him out for the Arnold Palmer, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, The Phoenix Open, among other important events before the Masters. Upon his return from this wrist injury, he will be a volatile fantasy option.
Danny Lee has withdrawn from the BMW Championship due to a back injury. Lee birdied his first hole followed by a bogey and then didn't finish the third hole to end his FedEx Cup chase. (Source: PGATOUR.com (Twitter))
Fantasy Impact: Lee has been plagued by injuries this season so DFS owners should be very careful when adding Lee into their lineups.
