Defending champion Robert MacIntyre has withdrawn from the DS Automobiles Italian Open ahead of his second round due to a back injury.
The Scot carded a two over par 73 in his first round on Thursday at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, venue for this year’s Ryder Cup.
MacIntyre was due to resume his title defence alongside Rasmus Højgaard and Guido Migliozzi but pulled out shortly before his scheduled 8:20am (local) tee time on Friday.
The two-time DP World Tour winner is now targeting a quick recovery ahead of the U.S. PGA Championship later this month, which traditionally sees the top 100 players in the world rankings, who are not already exempt, invited to compete in the year’s second major.
Gutted to withdraw this morning from the @ItalianOpen with a back strain. Hopefully nothing too serious. Now for a week of rest before the PGA Championship. pic.twitter.com/HRBwokBOWt
— Robert MacIntyre (@robert1lefty) May 5, 2023
In a statement released on his social media, World Number 91 MacIntyre said: "Gutted to withdraw this morning from the Italian Open with a back strain.
"Hopefully nothing too serious. Now for a week of rest before the PGA Championship."
The 26-year-old arrived in Italy in good form after back-to-back top tens in Japan and South Korea, which followed a five-week competitive break.
France’s Matthieu Pavon shot an eight under 63 to hold a two-shot lead after the first round on the outskirts of Rome.
