Dustin Johnson has withdrawn from the 2017 Masters after suffering a fall and injuring his back on Wednesday night.
Johnson tested his back with a limited range session ahead of his 2:03 p.m. tee time Thursday. He talked to officials on the range at about 1:45 p.m. and shortly after told ESPN's Tom Rinaldi he was "Gonna try (and play)." He even made it to the first tee for his tee time, but suddenly walked off and back into the clubhouse. His WD was announced shortly after.
The No. 1-ranked player in the world fell down a set of stairs Wednesday afternoon and was told to remain immobile and on anti-inflammatories for the evening. His agent, David Winkle, said he was hopeful he would play. On Thursday, Johnson's trainer Joey Diovisalvi said Johnson's condition was improving.
"He told us, 'I'm going to do everything I can to go out and play,'" Diovisalvi said. "That basically is his attitude. He was playing with [his son] Tatum. Life sometimes happens. He's not angry or upset. I'd say more discouraged."
Johnson took last week's Shell Houston Open off after notching three straight wins on the PGA Tour.
