By Joel Beall
Justin Rose entered the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational as a tournament favourite, coming off a runner-up finish at Carnoustie and boasting five career top-five finishes in Akron. However, in the event’s final stop at Firestone C.C., the World No. 2 won’t be teeing it up at all.

Rose withdrew from the WGC competition on Wednesday afternoon, citing back spams. Rose, in a now deleted message, tweeted a picture of himself and teacher Sean Foley on the driving range hitting balls an hour before the announcement.

The Englishman has a history of back woes, missing three months of action in 2016 battling the issue. The good news is the injury is not expected to keep Rose on the sidelines for the PGA Championship, as the Englishman still plans on teeing it up at Bellerive next week.

The past calendar year has arguably been the best performance of the 37-year-old’s career, with Rose posting four worldwide wins and 19 top 10s in that span. He enters St. Louis at 18-1 odds.

Rose is the second player to withdraw from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, with Adam Hadwin dropping out due to a hip ailment.

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