The Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor has been hit by a string of late withdrawals, with six players pulling out ahead of this weekend's tournament. The event, which offers a £1.2million winner's prize and a total purse of £6.9m, will proceed without several high-profile names, including Rory McIlroy, who had already confirmed his absence to prepare for his Masters title defence.
American prospect Akshay Bhatia became the latest withdrawal on Wednesday, with the PGA Tour not providing a reason. He was replaced by Sam Ryder. This follows Tuesday's exit of Max Greyserman, who was replaced by Joel Dahmen. Greyserman had previously withdrawn from the Pebble Beach Pro-Am due to a hand injury, though no reason was given for his latest pull-out.
They join Robert MacIntyre, Keith Mitchell, Sudarshan Yellamaraju and William Mouw, who all withdrew on Monday. MacIntyre, a two-time Ryder Cup winner, is a notable absence for European fans, having finished fourth at the recent Players Championship. Replacing the group are Doug Ghim, Andrew Putnam, Kris Ventura and Justin Lower, with Lower added to the first tee time at 11:35am UK time.
McIlroy, 36, is focusing on his Masters title defence starting April 9, having recently dealt with a back injury at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley suggested McIlroy might need more competitive rounds before Augusta, noting his poor weekend at the Players Championship. The only remaining PGA Tour events before the Masters are the Houston Open (March 26-29) and the Valero Texas Open (April 2-5).
