Daniel Berger, the third-highest ranked player in the field at the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, withdrew from the event on Wednesday.
According to the PGA Tour, Berger, the tournament’s defending champion, is a no-go due to a back injury.
The 16th-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking was visibly struggling on the course last weekend at Torrey Pines, bending over awkwardly to get his ball out of the hole.
A four-time winner on Tour, Berger admitted on Tuesday that he still uses TaylorMade MC irons he fell in love with when they were first released in 2011 while he was in high school.
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“I’ve just stuck with them. I stuck with them in college, I stuck with them early on in my career as a professional on the Korn Ferry and then early on on the PGA Tour,” Berger said. “I’ve just done a bunch of testing and it’s the best iron for me. So I don’t see why I need to go out there and look for something else.”
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Berger was replaced in the field by Kevin Stadler. Other field updates: K.H. Lee withdrew Monday, replaced by Jared Wolfe; Austin Eckroat in the field as a sponsor exemption replacement for Wolfe; Charley Hoffman WD, replaced by Mark Hubbard; Chris Stroud WD, replaced by Jim Knous; John Huh WD, replaced by Beau Hossler.
