Dustin Johnson, the world’s No. 1 golfer, suffered a freak injury Wednesday when he fell down a flight of stairs, making him questionable to play in the Masters, which begins Thursday.
“At roughly 3:00 pm today, Dustin took a serious fall on a staircase in his Augusta rental home,” read a statement from his agent, David Winkle. “He landed very hard on his lower back and is now resting, although quite uncomfortably. He has been advised to remain immobile and begin a regimen of anti-inflammatory medication and icing, with the hope of being able to play tomorrow.”
Johnson is scheduled to tee off at 2:03 p.m. ET, the last tee time of the day, so he will have a bit of extra time to rest.
Winner of his last three starts, which vaulted him to the top of the world ranking, Johnson entered this week as an overwhelming favorite to win his first green jacket. He finished in a tie for fourth at last year’s Masters, and broke through with his first major victory at the 2016 U.S. Open.