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Morikawa withdraws from final round of Memorial with back spasms

Collin Morikawa reacts to a missed putt on the 17th green during the first round of the Memorial golf tournament, Thursday, June 1, 2023, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (Darron Cummings, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

DUBLIN, Ohio ā€“ Collin Morikawa withdrew from the final round of the Memorial on Sunday because of back spasms, keeping him from a chance to win for a second time at Muirfield Village.

Morikawa had shot 68 in the third round and was two shots out of the lead. He said he was doing pre-round exercises when a muscle in his lower back gave out.

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ā€œWe were doing some like reflex stuff, trying to reach down and try to pick something up like quick and low. Went after it weird,ā€ he said. ā€œLiterally have never had this in my life. Iā€™ve hurt my back briefly before, but like nothing has been this bad, especially never warming up.ā€

He said he tried hitting about 10 balls on the range and he hit a clunky 9-iron that went only about 95 yards. He realized that wouldn't work at Muirfield Village.

Morikawa won the Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village in 2020 when it was held a week before the Memorial, replacing the Canadian Open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Morikawa said he wasn't overly worried about the recovery and will rest ahead of the U.S. Open on June 15-18 at Los Angeles Country Club.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


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