Dustin Johnson has been forced to pull out of his first tournament of the year - just three weeks before LIV Golf 's season opener in Mexico.
Johnson, 38, had been set to tee it up at this week's Saudi International ahead of the start of LIV's expanded 14-event 2023 calendar. But the American, a two-time winner of the Asian Tour's flagship event, withdrew just hours before his opening round because of a back injury.
He is said to have aggravated the problem during a practice round at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, which forced him to miss Wednesday's pro-am. And the late withdrawal represents a frustrating start to the year for Johnson, who had been due to compete in the Gulf state alongside all 47 other LIV rebels who played in the breakaway's 2022 team championship finale in October.
