Phil Mickelson’s cancellation was followed by another cancellation shortly before the start of the major: at around 5 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Bryson DeChambeau announced in Tulsa that he would not be taking part in the 2022 PGA Championship. The second major of the year comes too soon for the 28-year-old after months of pain that was eventually followed by surgery. Although DeChambeau flew to Tulsa this week to the Southern Hills Country Club to be able to prepare himself optimally for a possible participation, he has to admit to himself shortly before the start of the tournament that he is not yet fit enough again.
His left wrist prevents him from playing in the PGA Championship 2022
Bryson DeChambeau underwent surgery on his left hand about five weeks ago. A fall while playing table tennis damaged a bone in his wrist. At first DeChambeau played over the injury, but ultimately could not avoid surgery. Eight weeks of regeneration were initially recommended by the doctors. After DeChambeau had already trained one-handed shortly after the operation, he tried to get back to his usual game as quickly as possible. After four weeks, he already achieved an impressive speed and distance with his driver, as he showed on Twitter.
4 weeks and 2 days since surgery. pic.twitter.com/shymowoCBU
— Bryson DeChambeau (@b_dechambeau) May 15, 2022
He finally made his way to Southern Hills Country Club on May 16 to test his body on the course that will host the 2022 PGA Championship.
“I want to be 100% coming back”
After intense days of practice, he played nine holes on each of the last two days before the start of the major. The realization he gained was disappointing: “I just realized it wasn’t going to be the right decision for me to play this week – it was going to be a stretch.” He said he was only 70 percent fit and didn’t want to compete at this level. “I want to give somebody else a chance that’s fully prepared and ready to go out here. Feeling fatigued and tired, four days is a big stretch for me right now”, DeChambeau admits with a heavy heart.
After careful consideration, I have decided to WD from the @PGAChampionship. I want to make a full return when I am 100% ready to compete at golf’s highest level. Thank you all for the continued support!
— Bryson DeChambeau (@b_dechambeau) May 18, 2022
The replacement for Bryson DeChambeau at the PGA Championship 2022 will be Denny McCarthy. The latter is confident despite his impromptu entry, “I had a feeling he was going to pull out. I was ready either way.”