THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) 鈥� Defending champion and world No. 2 Lilia Vu withdrew from the Chevron Championship on Thursday before the first round because of a back injury.
She issued a statement on Instagram saying she had 鈥渟evere discomfort鈥� in her back during warmups Thursday to force her withdrawal.
鈥淚 have been dealing with a back injury for a while now,鈥� she said in the statement. 鈥淪ome days are better than others, and today was unfortunately not a good day. During my normal warmup routine, I had severe discomfort in my back and I felt that I could not compete up to my standards and made the decision to withdraw from the tournament ahead of my tee time.鈥�
She added that she was returning home immediately to see her doctors and determine the next steps.
The back issue forced her to withdraw from a previous event this season.
The 26-year-old American was asked about her health leading up to the tournament on Tuesday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a rough couple months battling with my injury,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a little scary. I鈥檝e definitely cried a lot on the range sometimes because my back just couldn鈥檛 hold up."
She added that she felt 鈥�95% there.鈥�
Vu was the LPGA player of the year last season. She won the Women's British Open after her Chevron victory.
___
AP golf:
The Associated Press
