Koepka withdraws from Players Championship with knee injury

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from The Players Championship next week with what his manager described as a strained right knee.

Koepka won the Phoenix Open last month and was a runner-up in the Workday Championship last week. He has been saddled the last few years with injuries to his left knee, including a partially torn patella.

His manager at Hambric Sports, Blake Smith, said Koepka would meet with doctors this week for a better evaluation and no further details.

In the last two weeks, he has talked about soreness in his neck that at times makes it difficult for him to turn his head.

Koepka was planning to play the Honda Classic the following week, and he had the Dell Match Play after that as the Masters on April 8-11 gets closer.

He was replaced in the field at the TPC Sawgrass by Anirban Lahiri.