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

Field Updates

Saturday (7/29)

• Taylor Montgomery (OUT)

Sunday (7/30)

• Luke List (OUT) - Dylan Wu (IN)

• Charley Hoffman (IN - sponsor exemption)

• Jonathan Byrd (IN - sponsor exemption)

• Peter Kuest (IN - sponsor exemption)

• Aaron Baddeley (IN - top-10 at 3M Open)

• Lee Hodges (OUT)

• Nicolai Hojgaard (IN - sponsor exemption)

Monday (7/31)

• Davis Love III (OUT) - Harry Higgs (IN)

• Keith Mitchell (OUT) - Cameron Percy (IN)

Tuesday (8/1)

INJURY REPORT (as of 10am ET, 8/1):

Hideki Matsuyama (neck) -- IN

Matsuyama has remained relatively healthy this Summer, seemingly managing his neck issue well. He's coming off a T30 finish at the 3M Open, and a T13 finish at The Open Championship the week prior.

Despite missing the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic (7/2), he finished T13 at the Travelers Championship (6/25), T32 at the U.S. Open (6/18), and T16 at the Memorial Tournament (6/4).

Nonetheless, Matsuyama's neck injury continues to be something to monitor week-to-week and any time he tees it up in an event. Matsuyama has dealt with this neck issue intermittently for the past two seasons.

At this moment, Matsuyama appears good to go for the 3M Open.

**

Older News:

According to a statement from PGA Tour Communications on April 28th, Matsuyama returned home to Japan after The Masters in order to receive treatment for his neck. However, according to the statement, Matsuyama's neck had not improved enough for him to compete at Quail Hollow.

Matsuyama ultimately returned to action at the AT&T Byron Nelson (May 11th-14th) after missing the Wells Fargo Championship. He finished T23 after shooting a final round 66 (-5) at TPC Craig Ranch.

Cameron Champ (personal) -- IN

Champ withdrew from the 3M Open before his round one tee time last Thursday. Cameron Jourdan of Golfweek reported that Champ decided to stay home following the birth of his first child, which occurred early last week.

Currently 139th in the FedExCup standings, Champ is likely to miss the playoffs unless he can produce a top finish at this week's Wyndham Championship.

Scott Piercy (back) -- IN

Piercy withdrew from the 3M Open after shooting a nine-over 80 in the first round last Thursday. No official reason was provided for Piercy's decision to WD event. That said, Piercy has dealt with a back injury on and off over the last month of the season.

Piercy has been dealing with this back injury since withdrawing during the Travelers Championship on June 23rd. He also pulled out of the field at the Rocket Mortgage Classic prior to the start of the event (6/25).

Piercy's back issues continued into July, withdrawing during the second round of the John Deere Classic on July 7th. He returned at the Barbasol Championship but missed the cut on the number. Piercy also competed in the Barracuda Championship but missed the cut there as well.

He's currently listed in the field for the Wyndham Championship, though his health status will be worth monitoring.

Brandt Snedeker (chest/sternum) -- IN

Brandt Snedeker underwent a rare sternum procedure called a Manubrium Joint Stabilization last December and started hitting balls again on April 1st.

Snedeker returned at the Memorial Tournament (June 1st-4th) and finished T41 after missing more than nine months due to a chest injury. He also played the following week at the RBC Canadian Open (June 8th-11th) but missed the cut after shooting 79-76.

Snedeker missed the cut as well at the Rocket Mortgage Classic (June 29th-July 2nd), John Deere Classic (July 6th-9th), and Barracda Championship (7/20-7/23).

He played well early at last week's 3M Open but ultimately drifted back to finish T53 at TPC Twin Cities.

Nicholas Lindheim (back) -- IN

Lindheim has missed the majority of this season due to a back injury. His last start on the PGA Tour came last Fall at the Shriners Children's Open (10/7). A few weeks after the Shriners, Lindheim withdrew from the Bermuda Championship (10/27) and WWT Championship at Maykoba (10/31) due to this injury.

Since the end of March, Lindheim has made five rehab starts on the Korn Ferry Tour:

• T8 at Club Car Championship (3/26)

• T8 at LECOM Suncoast Classic (4/23)

• T27 at UNC Health Championship (6/4)

• 3rd at Compliance Solutions Championship (6/25)

• Won at The Ascendant (7/16)

Lindheim was slated to compete at the Barracuda Championship two weeks ago but withdrew prior to his first round tee time. It's unclear why exactly Lindheim withdrew from the Barracuda. Nonetheless, he's currently listed in the field for this week's Wyndham Championship and is expected to tee it up.

Tom Kim (ankle) -- OUT

Kim will not defend his title at this week's Wyndham Championship due to a grade-1 tear in his right ankle. The injury occurred following the first round at The Open Championship. Kim managed to play through it, finishing T2 at Royal Liverpool after shooting 68-68-67 over the final three rounds.

However, Kim has chosen to take a couple of weeks off in order to rest his ankle before the start of the FedExCup playoffs. Kim currently sits 14th in the standings, and if he manages to get healthy, then he will have a good chance of making it all the way to the Tour Championship.

At this moment, it's unclear if Kim plans to tee it up at the FedEx St. Jude Championship–the first leg of the playoffs. Therefore it will be important to monitor Kim's status closely until then.

Luke List (foot, thumb) -- OUT

List withdrew from last week's 3M Open a few days before the start of the event. The week prior, List WD'd from the Barracuda Championship before the start of R1 due to a thumb injury.

The foot injury caused List to withdraw from the John Deere Classic a few days before the start (7/4). List also WD'd from the Rocket Mortgage Classic prior to his second-round tee time (6/30).

Update: List was originally listed in the field for the Wyndham Championship but pulled out of the field over the weekend. This ends List's season as he will not make the FedExCup playoffs.

Joseph Bramlett (undisclosed) -- OUT

Bramlett withdrew from last week's Barracuda Championship a few days before the start of the event on July 17th. He did not return at the 3M Open, and now Bramlett is not in the field for this week's Wyndham Championship.

Currently 87th in the FedExCup standings, it seems likely that Bramlett is dealing with something as it would make sense for him to compete in the last two regular season events to try and make the playoffs (top 70). Bramlett missed the cut in each of his last four starts on the PGA Tour.

Aaron Wise (undisclosed) -- OUT

Wise has not competed on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at the U.S. Open on June 18th. He was initially listed in the field for the Travelers Championship but pulled out of that event (6/17).

Wise missed part of the season in April and May as he decided to focus on his mental health before returning to the PGA Tour. This could explain Wise's limited schedule at the moment, though no official updates have been made on Wise's status.

Kevin Kisner (illness, personal) -- OUT

Kisner has not played on the PGA Tour since he withdrew from the Travelers Championship during R1 on June 22nd due to an undisclosed illness.

He was seven strokes over par through nine holes at TPC River Highlands at the time of the WD. The 39-year-old either missed the cut or withdrew in each of his last seven starts in stroke play events on the PGA Tour.

Kisner was originally committed to play in the Rocket Mortgage Classic but then was not listed in the announced field. When asked on Twitter about why he chose not to tee it up at Detroit GC, Kisner replied "BC I suck right now."

Kisner's long-time caddie Duane Bock was the on-the-bag for Sepp Straka at the John Deere Classic. That relationship continued this past week at The Open where Straka finished runner-up. Bock is expected to keep caddying for Straka for the foreseeable future.

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 May 22nd, and there's currently no official timetable for his return.

June 16th update: Woods officially withdrew from The Open Championship on June 16th, 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 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.

July 8th update: Zalatoris announced on Instagram that he would start chipping this upcoming week. This suggests that his recovery from back surgery is going well and that he's still targeting a September return to the PGA Tour.

July 17th update: Zalatoris revealed that he was about six weeks away from making full swings and that he would "probably" start playing again middle of October. He added that he's been finishing his degree from Wake Forest during his time off from 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. 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. There's currently no timeline for his return to the PGA Tour.

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.

Hayden Buckley (chest/rib) -- OUT

Buckley suffered a torn muscle in his chest and rib area which forced him to withdraw from the Rocket Mortgage Classic on June 26th.

According to a Twitter post from Buckley, he met with a team of doctors who diagnosed pain in his rib area as a torn muscle. Buckley's recovery time is uncertain, and so it's currently unclear when he might return to the PGA Tour.

The 27-year-old reached as high as 71st in the Official World Golf Rankings this season, thanks in part to three top-5 finishes. However, Buckley missed the cut in each of his last four starts, which could make more sense if he attempted to play through injury. It will be important to keep an eye on updates on Buckley's health status in the coming weeks.

Maverick McNealy (left shoulder) -- OUT

McNealy announced in an Instagram post on June 21st that he would be out for the next few months due to a torn left anterior sternoclavicular ligament. He's hopeful to return to the PGA Tour sometime in the Fall.

McNealy first suffered this injury back at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, which caused him to miss about a month of the season. At the beginning of June, at the RBC Canadian Open, the injury worsened and McNealy decided to properly address the nagging ailment by taking time off.

According to McNealy's social media post, the injury won't require surgery. Instead, McNealy plans to focus on physical therapy, biomechanics analysis, golf swing chances, and regenerative stem-cell treatments in order to treat the injury. Though not confirmed, it appears McNealy will likely miss the remainder of the 2022-23 PGA Tour season as he looks to return once fully healthy at some point in the Fall portion of next season's schedule.

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 (3/19). Vegas said the recovery is taking longer than he expected but is working hard to return as soon as possible.

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 that he severed a nerve in his thumb back 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 made a rehab start on the Korn Ferry Tour on June 25th at the Compliance Solutions Championship but missed the cut.

Other Player News:

Taylor Montgomery - OUT

Montgomery pulled out of the field for this week's Wyndham Championship over the weekend. It's a curious decision for Montgomery who currently sits 50th in the FedExCup standings and could have improved his position heading into the playoffs.

Montgomery has missed the cut in each of his last four starts on the PGA Tour.

Keith Mitchell - OUT

Mitchell withdrew from the Wyndham Championship on Monday for an undisclosed reason.

Currently 57th in the FedExCup standings following his T5 finish at last week's 3M Open, it seems likely that Mitchell figured out he was in position to make the playoffs and decided to rest this week. Nonetheless, it'll be worth keeping an eye on Mitchell's health status going into the first playoff event next week.

Kelly Kraft - IN

Kraft withdrew during the second round of the 3M Open last Friday. He was six shots over par for the tournament and on track to miss the cut. Rather than wait out the weather delay at TPC Twin Cities on Friday, Kraft decided to call it quits with three holes left to play.

While an injury is certainly possible, it appears more likely that Kraft chose to head home early instead of waiting for play to resume. Kraft is expected to tee it up this week at the Wyndham Championship.

David Lingmerth - IN

Lingmerth pulled out of the field for the 3M Open last week a few days before the start of the event. He's expected to return this week at the Wyndham Championship.

Currently 74th in the FedExCup standings, Lingmerth will need a solid performance this week in order to crack the top-70 and make it into playoffs. He finished T3 a couple of weeks ago at the Genesis Scottish Open.