(Reuters) – World No.2 Jon Rahm withdrew from the field for this week’s The American Express in La Quinta, California but did not give a reason for his decision, a PGA Tour spokesman said on Monday.
The Spaniard, who tied for seventh two weeks ago at Kapalua, was the highest-ranked player at the event at PGA West and won the tournament in 2018 when it was known as the CareerBuilder Challenge.
He was replaced by Brandon Hagy.
Rahm’s withdrawal means world number 10 Patrick Cantlay is the highest-ranked player in the field. Also playing are tournament host Phil Mickelson, four-times major champion Brooks Koepka and former Masters champion Patrick Reed.
The first round begins on Thursday.
Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto;Editing by Peter Rutherford
