Jason Day withdraws from Players Championship

Jason Day has pulled out of the Players Championship at Sawgrass as he continues to struggle with a thumb injury that has hindered his season so far.

The Australian missed two months after undergoing surgery on the problem and returned to compete at The Masters last month, where he tied for 20th place.

However, while playing at Augusta, Day aggravated the injury and will now miss the event in Florida next week as he takes time away from the game to allow his thumb to fully heal.

His agent said in a statement: "Day suffered a slight setback while playing the Masters and the thumb has been a bit slow to heal. He is still a few weeks away from resuming normal golf activities."

Day has only played one tournament since winning the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February.