Past champion ruled out of Masters with injury

The field for the Masters was set at 96 players, but one player will no longer take his chance.

Vijay Singh, the winner of the Masters in 2000, has been ruled out of action through injury.

A statement from the tournament said: “Due to injury, Vijay Singh has informed the Competition Committees he will not play in the 2025 Masters Tournament.”

It will be the first time since 1994 that Singh hasn’t teed it up in the Masters after finishing T27 on his debut.

A specific injury wasn’t specified by the tournament but it’s believed the Fijian has been struggling with a back problem.

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The 62-year-old made the cut at the Masters last year, despite being sent home at the halfway stage in each of the previous three years.

He now joins a list of 17 former champions who aren’t in the field this week, including six-time winner Tiger Woods.

The 15-time major winner underwent surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon last month, as he tried to build towards a competitive return at Augusta National.

It would have been the first competitive tour event Woods played since last summer’s Open at Royal Troon.

“As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured,” wrote the 49-year-old.

“This morning, Dr. Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida, performed a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon.

“I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab. Thank you for all the support.”

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Singh, meanwhile, has been teeing it up as normal ahead of a scheduled 31st Masters start.

He finished T18 at last week’s James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational on the Champions Tour, ten shots adrift of Angel Cabrera.

Between 2000 and 2006, Singh enjoyed a productive spell at the Masters, winning one Green Jacket and recording five top tens.

For comprehensive coverage of the first major of the year at Augusta National, keep up to date with our dedicated Masters hub.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.