The Masters: Aaron Wise withdraws from major to focus on mental health
Aaron Wise’s return trip to Augusta National will have to wait another year.
Wise announced on Instagram on Friday that he had withdrawn from the Masters and that he will be taking a break from the PGA Tour in order to focus on his mental health.
“Regretfully, I am withdrawing from the Masters today. Golf is just as much a mental game as it is one of physical skill, and the mental piece of it has been a struggle for me recently,” Wise wrote on an Instagram story. “I don’t take the significance of playing at Augusta lightly, but know that I need to take some time away to focus on my mental health so I can get back to competing at a level I am proud of.
“This hurts, but it’s needed. See you all soon.”
Aaron Wise announces he's WDing from the Masters to focus on his mental health. Wow. Hope to see the 2016 NCAA champ and 2017-2018 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year back out there soon. pic.twitter.com/OuCd32TmfB
— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) March 31, 2023
Wise did not go into specifics, or give a timeframe to when he will return to the course.
Wise has one career win on the PGA Tour. He won the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson, and was named the Tour’s Rookie of the Year that season.
The 26-year-old South African has struggled recently on Tour. He missed the knockout stage at last week’s Match Play in Austin and had missed four cuts in five starts before that. He qualified for the Masters after finishing inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking in 2022. He is currently ranked No. 45, down 12 spots from his career-best ranking held in January.
Wise has played the Masters just once before. He finished in 17th in 2019.
