Matsuyama withdraws with back injury as Im and Kim chase leader Scott at BMW Championship

Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama withdrew from the second round of the BMW Championship on Friday with a lower back injury as Korean duo Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo remained in the top 10 in the penultimate tournament of the 2024 FedExCup Playoffs.

Kim Si-woo plays his shot from the eighth tee during the second round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado on Friday. [GETTY IMAGES]

Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama withdrew from the second round of the BMW Championship on Friday with a lower back injury as Korean duo Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo remained in the top 10 in the penultimate tournament of the 2024 FedExCup Playoffs.

Matsuyama, who won the FedEx St. Jude Championship last week, had opened his campaign at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado with a 67 on Thursday before being forced to pull out of the $20 million showpiece.

“I am disappointed to have to withdraw from the BMW Championship after experiencing lower back discomfort while warming up this morning, which made it impossible to play. Thank you to BMW and the Western Golf Association for a great experience here at Castle Pines,” said Matsuyama.

Last season, the 10-time PGA Tour winner also pulled out before the start of the second round in the same tournament which snapped a nine-year streak of qualifying for the Tour Championship. While he will make a welcome return to East Lake for the Playoffs Finale next week as he is presently ranked third on the FedExCup points list, Matsuyama will be racing to get fully fit again.

Australia’s Adam Scott fired a blistering 63 on the site where he made his PGA Tour debut some 24 years ago to open up a three-shot lead over first round leader Keegan Bradley (68) with his 13-under total. Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg also shot a 63 for solo third, four off the pace.

Korea’s Im carded a 70 for a 6-under total in tied sixth position following a round that featured six birdies against four bogeys. Hitting 13 greens in regulation, the two-time winner made several long birdie putts from 17 feet, 33 feet and 27 feet on the second, third and ninth holes. He is projected to remain in 10th position on the FedExCup points list as he prepares to make his sixth straight appearance in the Tour Championship, which is limited to the top-30 players.

A second round 70 will see Kim enter the weekend in tied eighth place and in need to climb higher on the leaderboard in his chase for a berth in East Lake. He hit four birdies against two dropped and is projected to move to 35th position, five rungs outside of the Tour Championship.

Another Korean An Byeong-hun hit a 69 for a share of 15th position, highlighted by an eagle on the 17th hole from 15 feet. He is projected to remain 15th on the FedExCup point list to qualify for his first ever Tour Championship appearance.

BY CHUAH CHOO CHIANG [kjdsports@joongang.co.kr]