Citing a back injury, Jake Knapp withdrew from the Sony Open before his opening-round tee time at Waialae Country Club.
Knapp, who’d won the Mexico Open last season as a rookie, has been dealing with the injury for a while, according to reports – although the exact severity wasn’t disclosed.
He looked to be in good form last month, winning the Grant Thornton Invitational, alongside LPGA star Patty Tavatanakit, but struggled last week at Kapalua, finishing solo 56th at The Sentry.
Knapp did participate in practice rounds ahead of the Sony but pulled out on the day of the first round. Consequently, his playing partners for the opening two rounds, Brice Garnett and Tom Hoge, were forced to tee off as a twosome, as Knapp was not replaced in the field.
He was originally scheduled to tee off at 5:50 p.m. ET, off Waialae’s No. 1 hole.
