Akshay Bhatia withdrew from this week’s Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida on Monday.
No reason was given for Bhatia’s withdrawal.
The 23-year-old American tied for third place Sunday at the Players Championship, finishing just shots behind eventual winner Rory McIlroy, who defeated J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff Monday.
Bhatia’s withdrawal means he avoids playing six times in seven weeks. He is also sitting out next week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open but is expected to defend his Valero Texas Open title the following week, just ahead of the Masters starting April 10.
Bhatia, a two-time PGA Tour winner, is the first person to participate in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National as a kid and later make a Masters field. He competed at Augusta for the first time as a 12-year-old in 2014.
