Pre-tournament favourite Dustinn Johnson has withdrawn from The Masters, when he had looked set to play.
Johnson injured his back in a fall on Wednesday and his agents revealed he was a doubt to play.
He made it to the practice grounds at Augusta on Thursday ahead of his tee-off, as he was scheduled to tee up in the final grouping with Jimmy Walker and Bubba Watson.
But after warming up, he opted to withdraw from the year’s first major – which is a cruel blow for the world number one, who was hot favourite to take the green jacket on Sunday.
“I can’t swing full,” Johnson told American TV.
“I can’t make my normal swing and I didn’t think there was any chance I could compete.”
His coach Butch Harmon confirmed Sky Sports: “He has pain in his left side. He started to warm up hitting eight irons 100 yards.
“As he went through the bag he had the physio work on him for a bit and he felt like he needed to try and make a few full swings if he was going to get around the case.
“He says practice swings are hurting more than the full hit.
“I said you know your body. You have to tell us. If you can’t make one then we are wasting our time.
“At the end of the session he hit two good drives and I told him you make the call.”