Former Masters champ withdraws from this year’s event with injury

2000 Masters champion Vijay Singh has withdrawn from this year’s tournament due to injury.

Singh notified Masters officials on Monday that a back injury would prevent him from competing at Augusta National this year.

Singh, 62, has a lifetime exemption to the Masters as a result of his victory 25 years ago. He tied for 58th last year after missing the cut in his previous three starts. It was his best showing at Augusta since 2018.

Singh is one of 17 former champions, including Tiger Woods, who will not be in the field for the 89th Masters.

The first major championship of the 2025 men’s golf season gets underway at Augusta National on Thursday.

The weather could play a major role at this year’s Masters. Rain over the weekend caused tournament officials to issue a preliminary advisory that the course could be closed to fans for Monday’s practice rounds, however ticket gates and parking lots opened Monday morning.