Paul Casey Withdraws From US Open

Paul Casey has withdrawn from the US Open as he continues to deal with a back injury that has kept him on the sidelines since March.

The 44-year-old has not played since the WGC-Match Play in March, and he only managed two holes of his opening match with Corey Conners there before withdrawing with back spasms, subsequently conceding against both Alex Noren and Louis Oosthuizen without striking a ball.

Casey had pulled out of the Valspar Championship a week earlier with back spasms, possibly caused by the stop-start nature of the weather-affected Players Championship, where he finished third behind Cameron Smith. He has only completed three tournaments on the PGA Tour in 2022, with that third at TPC Sawgrass his only top 10.

The former World No.3 will be missing his third straight Major, having pulled out of the Masters - despite participating in the par-3 contest on the eve of the tournament - and the PGA Championship with the same issue and is the latest in a number of big names missing the US Open.

According to ESPN.com, a spokesman for Casey said he hopes to be fit to participate in the 150th Open Championship, taking place at St Andrews next month. Casey himself last provided an update on his Instagram page three weeks ago, when he withdrew from the PGA Championship.

He said: “Due to an ongoing back injury I regrettably have withdrawn from this year's PGA Championship. Doctors and specialists are aiding me in my recovery. This is something I’ve been battling a while, my last full tournament being The Players Championship back in March. I’m working hard to expedite the recovery process so I can be back on the course soon.”

Canadian Adam Hadwin will replace Casey in the field for the US Open, which starts at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, on June 16th. Hadwin, who last week made his first hole-in-one on tour, at the Memorial Tournament, was the first alternate from the Dallas qualifier last month.