Sawt Falasteen - Na and Zalatoris withdraw from Masters

NYSE - LSE
BCC -2.5% 70.8 $
BCE 1.06% 21.72 $
CMSC -2.38% 19.985 $
CMSD -2.2% 20.04 $
RBGPF 0% 75.17 $
RIO -2.56% 84.23 $
RELX -0.5% 39.82 $
BP -0.55% 44.345 $
NGG -0.98% 83.44 $
RYCEF 2.23% 17.9 $
GSK -0.57% 51.25 $
VOD -1.85% 15.405 $
AZN -1.84% 185.97 $
BTI 1.27% 60.86 $
JRI -0.89% 11.825 $
Na and Zalatoris withdraw from Masters
Na and Zalatoris withdraw from Masters / Photo: Christian Petersen - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Na and Zalatoris withdraw from Masters

Americans Kevin Na and Will Zalatoris withdrew from the 87th Masters during the opening round on Thursday.

Text size:

Na pulled out due to illness on Thursday after playing the first nine holes at 4-over par 40 while Zalatoris withdrew due to an unspecified injury before starting his round.

Na, a 39-year-old South Korean-born American, was one of 18 players from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour who qualified for the Masters.

Na made a dreadful start, driving close to a tree in the rough on the first hole and then going beyond the green with his approach shot -- ending with opened with a double bogey.

Na had an eventful half-round as he birdied the par-5 second hole, before bogeys at the third, fifth and par-3 sixth and a birdie at the par-5 eighth before another bogey on nine.

World number 96 Na's best result at Augusta has been to finish in a share for 12th which has achieved in three of his 11 Masters starts, most recently in 2021.

The 26-year-old Zalatoris finished second at the Masters two years ago and was also runner-up at the PGA Championship in 2022 and tied for second in that year's US Open.

H.Darwish--SF-PST