Bryson DeChambeau withdrew Wednesday from this week’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa as he continues to recover from wrist surgery.
Later in the day, though, he posted an update to his Twitter page indicating he would not be playing in the season’s second major championship.
“I want to make a full return when I am 100% ready to compete at golf’s highest level,” the tweet read.
After careful consideration, I have decided to WD from the @PGAChampionship. I want to make a full return when I am 100% ready to compete at golf’s highest level. Thank you all for the continued support!
— Bryson DeChambeau (@b_dechambeau) May 18, 2022
DeChambeau has not played competitively since early April, when he missed the cut at the Masters after finishing the first 36 holes at 12 over. He was forced to modify his grip and swing while trying to push through the injury.
Not long after playing at Augusta National, DeChambeau, 28, elected to have surgery to repair a fractured hook in the hamate bone. Typical recovery time for such a procedure is four to six weeks.
After missing the cut in three of his past four starts, the former world No. 5 has fallen to 22nd and stands 219th in FedEx Cup points. DeChambeau has one finish in the top 25 over five starts this season.
“I’m proud of the fact that I’m here,” he told the Golf Channel before his withdrawal. “I’m proud I’ve been able to persevere through it. I’ve had a lot of stuff going on recently, and the game has not been a fun thing for me, so I’m excited to get back and give another shot. Everybody deserves a second chance.”
DeChambeau was the latest high-profile player to withdraw from the season’s second major, following Phil Mickelson, who elected not to play in the tournament he won last year, which made him, at 50, the oldest major champion.
Mickelson’s withdrawal coincided with the release this week of an unauthorized biography by longtime golf writer Alan Shipnuck that details the six-time major champion’s link to a controversial Saudi Arabia-funded golf league and gambling losses in excess of $40 million from 2010 to 2014.
Also withdrawing this week was world No. 24 Paul Casey. The Englishman finished second to Collin Morikawa at the 2020 PGA Championship at San Francisco’s Harding Park and claimed a share of fourth last year.
Casey has been limited to seven events worldwide because of back issues. He has not played a full competitive round since March, when he withdrew from the WGC Match Play in Austin, following two holes in the opening round.
Denny McCarthy, a Montgomery County native and three-time Washington Post first-team All-Met at Georgetown Prep, was added to the field in DeChambeau’s place. The former collegiate standout at Virginia briefly was in contention at the Wells Fargo Championship two weeks ago at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm.