Inbee Park of South Korea withdrew from the Evian Championship, the final LPGA Tour major of the year later this month, because of a nagging injury to her left thumb.
Park’s withdrawal came as something of a surprise since she played brilliantly while winning the Olympic Gold Medal in her last outing Rio de Janeiro.
“The Evian Championship means so much to me, and I really wanted to see the beautiful Evian Resort Golf Club once again and compete to win,” said Park, who is No. 4 in the World Golf Rankings.
“Unfortunately, my left thumb injury needs more rehabilitation than I wished for. Last week, I had to put on a cast to immobilize my left thumb and the recovery is potentially expected longer than the Evian Championship week. Therefore, I will be unable to commit to this year’s championship, and I will focus on getting fully recovered from the injury and put all efforts to being back on the golf course as soon as possible.”
Park, who missed the U.S. Women’s Open and her title defense at the Ricoh Women’s British Open this year because of the injury, won the Evian in 2012, before it became the LPGA’s fifth major.
The 28-year-old Park, won owns seven major titles, hopes to play in her home country event, the KEB Hana Bank Championship, which will be played Oct. 13-16 in Incheon, South Korea.
