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WGC-Match Play: Hideki Matsuyama and Will Zalatoris WD on Friday with neck injury, illness

Both Hideki Matsuyama and Will Zalatoris withdrew from the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play on Friday morning.

Zalatoris conceded his match against Ryan Fox before it started due to an illness. The PGA Tour did not give specifics. Zalatoris lost his first two matches of the week, and was already eliminated from the knockout round.

Matsuyama conceded his match against Max Homa and withdrew from the event on Friday morning due to a lingering neck injury.

“I experienced some stiffness in my neck this morning while warming up on the range, preventing me from making a full swing,” Matsuyama said in a statement, in part. “As a precautionary measure, I decided to concede my match to Max and rest before moving on to the Valero Texas Open next week.”

Matsuyama has won eight times on Tour in his career, most recently at last year’s Sony Open in Hawaii. He finished in fifth at The Players Championship earlier this month, which marked his best finish of the season.

The 2021 Masters champion has dealt with both his neck injury and a back injury over the last year or so. He missed several events last season due to both injuries, including The Players Championship and the FedEx St. Jude Championship in the FedExCup Playoffs. He withdrew from the Houston Open last fall with a neck injury, too.

Hideki Matsuyama
Hideki Matsuyama withdrew from the WGC-Match Play on Friday due to a lingering neck injury. (Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images)

Matsuyama is still expected to compete next week in San Antonio before heading to Augusta National.

Zalatoris has one career win on the PGA Tour, at last year’s FedEx St. Jude Championship. He had to withdraw from the BMW Championship the following week in the FedExCup Playoffs with a back injury. Zalatoris most recently finished in 73rd at The Players Championship, and is currently ranked No. 8 in the Official World Golf Rankings.