Paul Casey explains reason for Masters withdrawal

Paul Casey has revealed why he was forced to withdraw from the Masters just minutes before the first round was due to start.

It emerged at the last moment on Thursday that Casey would no longer be able to play in the first major of the year.

He had played in Wednesday’s Par-3 competition, accompanied by his family, and showed little sign of any issues.

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But in a post on Instagram, the Ryder Cup star claimed he had been struck down with a recurrence of a back injury.

However, he pledged to focus on his recovery in order to return to Augusta in 2023.

“Sadly I’ve had to withdraw from this year’s Masters tournament,” he wrote.

“The back issues are persistent and thus preventing me from being able to compete. I shall now focus on my treatment and recovery so I can return to competitive form as soon as possible.

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Good luck to all the players in the field. I am sorry to miss it. Thank you @themasters I hope to see you next year.”

Casey has been plagued by back problems recently, and forfeited all three of his matches at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play because of the issue.