RBC Canadian Open Injury News & Player Notes

Jun 6th 2023

Nick DeMott

This column will provide any field updates, injury news, and other player notes in the days leading up to the RBC Canadian Open.

  • Field Changes (-): Dylan Frittelli withdrew over the weekend.

  • Field Changes (+): William McGirt replaced Frittelli in the field over the weekend.

  • Field Changes (-): Troy Merritt withdrew over the weekend.

  • Field Changes (+): Wesley Bryan replaced Merritt in the field over the weekend.

  • Field Changes (-): Anders Albertson withdrew over the weekend.

  • Field Changes (+): Ricky Barnes replaced Albertson in the field over the weekend.

  • Field Changes (-): Stephan Jaeger withdrew over the weekend.

  • Field Changes (+): Geoff Ogilvy replaced Jaeger in the field over the weekend.

  • Field Changes (-): Philip Knowles withdrew over the weekend.

  • Field Changes (+): Grayson Murray replaced Knowles in the field over the weekend.

  • Field Changes (-): Davis Riley withdrew over the weekend.

  • Field Changes (+): Derek Ernst replaced Riley in the field over the weekend.

  • Field Changes (-): Byeong Hun An withdrew on Monday.

  • Field Changes (+): Derek Lamely replaced An in the field on Monday.

  • Field Changes (-): Sam Ryder withdrew on Monday.

  • Field Changes (+): Scott Brown replaced Ryder in the field on Monday.

  • Field Changes (-): Sam Stevens withdrew on Monday.

  • Field Changes (+): Tommy Gainey replaced Stevens in the field on Monday.

  • Field Changes (-): Luke List withdrew on Monday.

  • Field Changes (+): Ben Crane replaced List in the field on Monday.

  • Field Changes (-): Zac Blair withdrew on Tuesday.

  • Field Changes (+): Sangmoon Bae replaced Blair in the field on Monday.

INJURY REPORT (as of 10am ET, 6/6):

Collin Morikawa (back) -- OUT

Morikawa withdrew prior to his final round tee time at the Memorial Tournament on Sunday due to a back injury. He suffered back spasms while warming up ahead of his round at Muirfield Village and pulled out of the tournament shortly before his tee time.

After withdrawing, Morikawa confirmed that the injury occurred to the muscle in his lower back and happened while reaching down to pick something up ("reflex stuff") during his pre-round warm-up Sunday.

This was an unfortunate result for Morikawa who had put himself in contention with a chance to win on Sunday at Muirfield Village. His next start is expected to come in two weeks at the U.S. Open at L.A. Country Club. Morikawa believes two weeks is plenty of time to recover. Nonetheless, it will be important to track his health status leading up to that major championship.

Brendon Todd (shoulder) -- IN / Questionable

Todd withdrew during the second round of the Memorial Tournament last Friday due to a shoulder injury. He was +7 through 12 holes on Friday at the time of the WD and +14 for the event. This appears to be a new injury for Todd who made the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge the week prior.

He's currently listed in the field for the RBC Canadian Open, though his health status will be one to monitor in the days leading up to the start of the event.

Brandt Snedeker (chest/sternum) -- IN

Snedeker returned at last week's Memorial Tournament and finished T41 after missing more than nine months due to a chest injury. The 42-year-old underwent a rare sternum procedure called a Manubrium Joint Stabilization last December and just started hitting balls again on April 1st.

This is what Snedeker told reporters after making the cut last Friday:

"I'm shocked at how good my body feels, shocked at how I feel, how excited I am for the weekend...Hopefully this is kind of the new bar for how I should feel after playing golf."

Snedeker has three starts remaining on a minor medical extension. He must earn enough points over those three starts in order to regain status on the PGA Tour.

Ryan Brehm (arm/tricep) -- IN

Brehm is playing in just his second event since returning from a tricep injury that caused him to withdraw from multiple events in April and May (Zurich Classic, Mexico Open, and Wells Fargo Championship).

According to a tweet from Tony Paul of Detroit News on April 20th, Brehm suffered a tricep injury prior to the start of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Brehm finished T64 in his return to action at the AT&T Byron Nelson on May 14th. He appears to be healthy as he is slated to make another start this week at the RBC Canadian Open.

Tiger Woods (ankle, foot) -- OUT

Woods announced on April 19th that he underwent a subtalar fusion procedure to address his post-traumatic arthritis from a previous talus fracture. He is currently recovering and looks forward to beginning his rehabilitation.

The 15-time major champion withdrew in his most recent start at The Masters, citing a reaggravation of his plantar fasciitis after being seen walking with a noticeably worse limp during the third round. In February, Woods expressed his goal to play in all of the major championships this year. However, given this news of another ankle surgery and upcoming rehab, expectations should be tempered for Woods' chances at playing in the next three majors.

May 22nd update: Woods officially withdrew from the U.S. Open on Monday, and there's currently no official timetable for his return.

Will Zalatoris (back) -- OUT FOR SEASON

Zalatoris announced on his Instagram account on April 10th that he underwent successful surgery on his back and will now miss the rest of the season.

Zalatoris withdrew just prior to his first-round tee time at The Masters. As it turns out, Zalatoris was dealing with the same back issues (herniated discs) that caused him to be out for the last four months of 2022. Zalatoris has had a very promising start to his career, winning his first PGA Tour event last summer at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, but will now miss at least another five months following a microdiscectomy.

I've seen some confusion out there–this is the first time Zalatoris had back surgery. He did NOT have surgery in 2022 for this issue.

May 22nd update: Zalatoris announced on the ESPN broadcast during last week's PGA Championship that he feels pain-free for the first time in two years following back surgery. He's targeting a September return to the PGA Tour.

Daniel Berger (back) -- OUT

Berger remains sidelined from a back injury that has kept him out since the 2022 U.S. Open. The most recent update suggested he could return sometime in May but that is looking less likely as the month comes to an end. Berger tried to play through this injury last season but said “that was definitely not the answer.” Instead, Berger has opted to take a more patient approach in his recovery.

MAY 2ND UPDATE:

This article from AP News provides background and insight into the back injury Berger has been dealing with for the past year. In the article, Berger notes that it's not a career-ending injury but knows it'll be a challenge to get back to where he was as a top player in the world.

Berger has been posting clips on his Instagram account of him swinging a golf club, suggesting that his return could come soon though there is no official date or tournament that he's committed to yet.

JUNE 6TH UPDATE:

Berger was originally slated to compete in one of the U.S. Open final qualifiers on Monday (June 5th) as he was given a tee time for the qualifier in Boynton Beach, Florida but withdrew a couple of days prior.

Jhonattan Vegas (elbow) -- OUT

Vegas announced on his personal Twitter account on April 27th that he suffered an elbow injury related to the one that plagued him last year. He underwent surgery in April of 2022, and then later in the year Vegas opted to take the entire Fall portion of the PGA Tour schedule off due to this recurrent injury.

The 38-year-old has not played in a PGA Tour event since the Valspar Championship last month. Vegas said the recovery is taking longer than he expected but is working hard to return as soon as possible.

Kevin Yu (knee) -- OUT

Yu competed in the U.S. Open final qualifier in Los Angeles on Monday (June 5th). This was Yu's first competitive rounds since undergoing surgery on February 20th for a torn meniscus.

The rookie was having an excellent first season on the PGA Tour with seven made cuts in 10 starts, one top-5 finish, and two top-10 finishes. In his last start before the injury, Yu finished T7 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

It appears that Yu is likely nearing a return to the PGA Tour though no official date is set.

Erik Barnes (knee) -- OUT

Barnes underwent knee surgery on April 3rd and is without a timetable for his return to the PGA Tour.

The 35-year-old rookie posted on Twitter that he was having reconstructive surgery on his MPFL and a repair of his MCL. Barnes said he's battled knee subluxation issues for the last couple of years which have worsened over the past few weeks. According to Barnes' social media post, the surgery was successful but he expects a long road in his recovery and eventual return to the PGA Tour.

John Huh (elbow tendinitis) -- OUT

Huh has yet to play in an event in 2023 due to elbow tendinitis. His last start came at The RSM Classic (November 20th, 2022).

Philip Knowles (hand) -- OUT

Knowles announced on his Instagram account on May 1st that he severed a nerve in his thumb on February 1st, underwent surgery on February 24th, and started swinging a golf club again on April 14th.

He noted that (as of May 1st) he's nearly back to full function but "range of motion is limited due to scar tissue" and "lack of sensation in the outside part of my thumb."

Knowles was originally listed in the field for the RBC Canadian Open but pulled out of it over the weekend.

Anders Albertson (undisclosed) -- OUT

Albertson withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open over the weekend (June 3rd). He's been sidelined with an undisclosed injury since withdrawing from the Valspar Championship on March 13th. It appears that the 29-year-old is nearing a return to the PGA Tour soon.

Dylan Frittelli (illness) -- OUT

Frittelli withdrew during the first round of the Memorial Tournament last Thursday due to illness. He was 15 strokes over par through 14 holes at Muirfield Village. Frittelli then also withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open over the weekend (June 3rd).

Vince Whaley (undisclosed) -- IN

Whaley returned three weeks ago at the AT&T Byron Nelson after missing about seven months due to an undisclosed injury. He made the cut at TPC Craig Ranch though finished T79.

Whaley has since made two starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, finishing T9 at the AdventHealth Championship and missing the cut at last week's UNC Health Championship.

Other Player News:

Maverick McNealy -- IN

McNealy withdrew from the Memorial Tournament on May 27th without any reason given. He finished T52 at last week's Charles Schwab Challenge.

McNealy has struggled since returning from a shoulder injury in early March, missing three cuts in seven starts and finishing no better than T36. It's unclear if the shoulder is still bothering him or if he's just struggling to find form at the moment.

McNealy is slated to return this week at the RBC Canadian Open.

Taylor Moore -- OUT

Moore withdrew from the Memorial Tournament on May 29th. No reason was given for Moore's decision to WD from the event. Moore missed the cut in his last start at the Charles Schwab Challenge and finished T72 the week prior to that at the PGA Championship.

Moore is currently expected to tee it up next week at the U.S. Open.

Byeong Hun An -- OUT

An withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open on Monday. No reason was given for An's decision to WD, though it's worth noting that he also withdrew from his U.S. Open final qualifier after nine holes. His health status will be worth monitoring the next time he tees it up on the PGA Tour.

Zac Blair -- OUT

Blair withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open on Tuesday for an undisclosed reason. He missed the cut in his most recent start at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Luke List -- OUT

List withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open on Monday after he got into the U.S. Open through final qualifying. He finished T16 at last week's Memorial Tournament and led the field in birdies made.

Troy Merritt -- OUT

Merritt withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open shortly after the field was announced last Friday. The 37-year-old has missed four consecutive cuts on the PGA Tour, including last week at the Memorial Tournament.

Davis Riley -- OUT

Riley withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open over the weekend (June 4th). He finished T54 at last week's Memorial Tournament after being the first-round leader.

Sam Ryder -- OUT

Ryder withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open on Monday for an undisclosed reason. He finished T56 at last week's Memorial Tournament.

Sam Stevens -- OUT

Stevens withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open on Monday after he got into the U.S. Open through final qualifying. He finished T41 at last week's Memorial Tournament.

LIV Golf Player News (No LIV event this week):

Paul Casey (knee, toe)

Casey withdrew from the PGA Championship on May 16th due to toe and knee injuries. He reaggravated pre-existing injuries after trying new golf shoes recently. He was also out for last week's LIV Washington DC event.

According to teammate Bryson DeCheambeau on May 24th, "His feet have been hurting him a little bit...He's in a place where he's recovering, and he'll be good in a couple weeks he told me, so no issues with that."

Martin Kaymer (wrist)

Kaymer withdrew from the PGA Championship on May 12th. After undergoing wrist surgery last November, Kaymer does not yet feel like he is ready to compete for 3 weeks in a row.

"I don't think I will be able to play 3 weeks in a row after the [offseason wrist] surgery...I'm playing good. It's just a matter of I would like to go there with the mindset of I can actually win the golf tournament. I don't have that yet. I have not been practicing at all for the last six months. I've only been putting and chipping and I only hit golf shots during the tournament. So that is not enough to beat the best player in the world."

Kaymer returned at the LIV Washington DC event and finished 25th.

Lee Westwood (knee)

Westwood withdrew prior to the final round of LIV Tulsa on May 14th due to a medial ligament strain that occurred while running on a treadmill before round two. He said on Twitter on Monday that he feels "good and ready" for LIV DC after rehabbing his injury for the past week.

Westwood returned at LIV DC and finished 36th.

Jason Kokrak (undisclosed)

Kokrak withdrew prior to the second round of LIV Washington DC with an undisclosed injury. There have been no updates on his health status since then.

Thomas Pieters (undisclosed)

Pieters withdrew prior to the third round of LIV Washington DC with an undisclosed injury. There have been no updates on his health status since then.

Matthew Wolff (undisclosed)

Wolff withdrew prior to the third round of LIV Washington DC with an undisclosed injury. Following LIV DC, rumors have been swirling about Wolff's status on in the league. He was removed from certain aspects of his team's social media pages, suggesting that he could be seeking a trade to another LIV team.

He also withdrew prior to his U.S. Open final qualifier tee time on Monday (June 5th).

Hudson Swafford (hip)

Swafford underwent surgery on February 20th with the expectation that he would miss 4-6 months. He was seen swinging on the driving range in an Instagram post on May 4th.

Sam Horsfield (hip)

Horsfield underwent surgery on May 10th and is expected to miss "a few months" according to a post on his Twitter account.