LIV Golf player FORCED OUT of 2023 US PGA Championship at Oak Hill!

Sam Stevens has replaced the LIV Golf player in the field at Oak Hill. 

Ben Smith's picture
Tue, 16 May 2023
LIV Golf player FORCED OUT of 2023 US PGA Championship at Oak Hill!

Paul Casey has become the second LIV Golf player to withdraw from the forthcoming PGA Championship

England's Casey had been given a special invite by the PGA of America after he was forced out of the 2022 major at Southern Hills owing to a back injury. 

We do not know if that injury has caused Casey to withdraw from this week's tournament as no other reason other than 'injury' was listed. 

Casey, who plays for Bryson DeChambeau's Crushers in the breakaway tour, joins Martin Kaymer in also skipping the second major of the year. 

Two-time major winner John Daly has also withdrawn. Attention will now turn to see if Jordan Spieth - who was pictured practicing at Oak Hill with a taped wrist - will be fit enough to play. 

Casey has been replaced in the field by Sam Stevens. The tee times have now been released, and you can check out the groupings here

Why was Casey given a special invite in the first place?

PGA of America boss Seth Waugh explained to The Times:

"He has been hurt a bit, but he has performed really well in majors when healthy and he is a former Ryder Cupper and someone who we think has done a lot for the game. We think he adds to the field. I would put the criterion as 'good for our event' because he's someone who has contributed to the game in a positive way."

Waugh also stressed in a pre-tournament press conference that the disruption to the men's professional game caused by LIV Golf has ultimately been good because there are more eyes on the game. 

That being said, he felt his comments about the breakaway tour's application for world ranking points were taken out of context

Waugh stated the OWGR is waiting to hear back from LIV but that has been disputed

He explained:

"That's a total mischaracterization. What I've said and what I'll say now is there has been healthy back and forth. It has not been acrimonious. There's been collegial back and forth of them making an application as other tours have done. We've responded; they've responded. The ball, from my understanding, is in their court from our last response at this point."

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One player who appears to be done talking about LIV is one of the tournament favourites: Rory McIlroy

McIlroy said he was going to make a conscious effort from now on not to talk about the Saudi-backed league. 

Read more about that here