Matsuyama out of Wells Fargo Championship due to injury; Rahm, Scheffler also out but McIlroy set to return

Hideki Matsuyama will miss next week's Wells Fargo Championship, the latest designated event on the PGA Tour, as the former Masters champ continues to battle a neck injury.

Matsuyama, 31, has been sidelined for parts of this season due to neck pain, including a WD in his match against Max Homa at the WGC-Dell Match Play in March and skipping the RBC Heritage, a designated event immediately following the Masters. In a statement to the PGA Tour, the ailment will keep Matsuyama from competing at the Charlotte tour stop next week.

“Following the Masters, I returned to Japan to receive treatment for my neck pain and unfortunately, it has not improved to the point of being able to compete,” Matsuyama said. “I want to thank Wells Fargo and the Charlotte fans for their support and look forward to returning in the future.”

Given that this is the second designated event that Matsuyama will be missing, there is potential that he might have to forgo a portion of the money he earned from 2022 Player Impact Program. PGA Tour rules state that for players to receive the full portion of what they earn—in Matsuyama's case $2 million—they can only miss one designated event in 2023 or risk losing 25 percent of their earnings. This is the issue that Rory McIlroy is facing after he missed his second designated event in 2023, the RBC Heritage. However, there is a medical clause in the regulations that likely would protect Matsuyama.

When Matsuyama has played in 2023, he's played well, highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the Players Championship last month. In his last start at Augusta National, Matsuyama entered the final round in a tie for fifth, but a closing 75 dropped him to a T-16 finish.

Speaking of the Masters, Jon Rahm is also skipping the Wells Fargo Championship. Rahm is currently in this week’s Mexico Open as he tries to defend his title from 2022. World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler is also not in the field.

However, one player who will be at Quail Hollow is McIlroy. The Ulsterman will return for his first event since missing the cut at the Masters. He has won the Wells Fargo three times in his career.