Hideki Matsuyama, Robert MacIntyre withdraw from BMW Championship with back injuries

A pair of golfers have withdrawn from the BMW Championship due to back injuries this week in Colorado.

Hideki Matsuyama, who is coming off of a win at last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, pulled out of the second FedEx Cup Playoffs event on Friday due to a back injury. He said in a statement that he started feeling “lower back discomfort” while warming up for the second round on Friday, and that it “made it impossible to play.”

Matsuyama posted a 5-under 67 on Thursday to start the tournament at Castle Pines Golf Club. He entered the week at No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings, thanks largely to last week’s win in Tennessee. So despite his withdrawal, Matsuyama is still expected to qualify for the Tour Championship. The top 30 golfers in the FedEx standings after the BMW Championship will advance to East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta next week.

Matsuyama held on late last week to grab a two-shot win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which served as the PGA Tour's first phase of a three-tournament playoff. It marked the 10th win of his career on the PGA Tour, and came after his bronze medal win at the Paris Olympics earlier this summer. Matsuyama had to win without his normal caddie and coach, too, after they were robbed in London on the way back from the Olympics.

Then on Saturday, Robert MacIntyre withdrew from the BMW Championship with lower back pain. He was 1-over for the week as he made the turn on Saturday, which is when he opted to withdraw.

MacIntyre grabbed his inaugural win on Tour earlier this season at the RBC Canadian Open. He won the Genesis Scottish Open in July, too, which made him the first Scot to win his national open in the last 25 years. MacIntyre started the week at 12th in the FedEx Cup standings, and he’s still projected to qualify for the Tour Championship despite not finishing the tournament in Colorado.