PGA Championship, Paul Casey withdraws

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Two more top25 players in the world ranking have announced their withdrawal from the PGA Championship. The English Paul Casey and the Korean Sungjae Im will not dispute the second 'major' of the year. Casey has a back injury and Im has tested positive for COVID-19.

Paul Casey, situation

Russell Knox and Scott Stallings will take their places. Joel Dahmen is now the first backup in case another player drops out before Thursday's first round at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Casey hasn't been able to compete since he placed third at The Players Championship in March. He entered the WGC-Match Play battling spasms and lost all of his scheduled group stage matches. The following month he dropped out of the Masters.

For his part, Im tested positive for COVID on Thursday before he played in a tournament on the Korea Tour. He will not be able to travel back to the US in time for the tournament due to South Korea's COVID protocol.

Im ranked number 20 in the world. Casey is number 24. World number 25 Harris English dropped out last Friday. These casualties join that of reigning champion Phil Mickelson.

Originally from Cheltenham, he moved with his family to Weybridge, County Surrey at the age of six. Initially passionate about tennis, at the age of eleven he began to play golf. He attended Hampton School and then Strode's College, before earning a scholarship to Arizona State University.

In 2008 he married horsewoman Jocelyn Hefner, distant cousin of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. After living in rural Arizona, the couple divorced in 2011 citing the impact of Casey's work commitments in the continuation of their relationship.

Passionate about Formula 1, at the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix he meets the TV presenter Pollyanna Woodward, with whom he is officially engaged in December 2013. The couple, who married in January 2015, have a son.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/VqEy2oP

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