Rose out of WGC, hopes to be ready for Masters
MIAMI -- Britain's Justin Rose pulled out of the WGC-CA Championship at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa on Tuesday because of a lingering back problem, his manager said.
The 26-year-old Englishman, who also withdrew from last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational, hopes to recover in time for next month's Masters, the opening major of the year.
Rose has not played on the PGA Tour since last month's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona where he upset Masters champion Phil Mickelson in the third round before losing in the quarterfinals.
His withdrawal from the second World Golf Championships (WGC) event of the year reduces the Doral field to 73 players.
World No. 1 Tiger Woods, a five-time winner at the event, will launch his title defense in Thursday's opening round.
Woods cruised to victory by eight shots last year when the tournament was played as the WGC-American Express Championship at The Grove in Hertfordshire, England.
