Justin Rose withdraws from Memorial with bad back

Los Angeles: Former US Open champion Justin Rose has withdrawn from this week’s Memorial tournament with a lingering back injury.

England’s Rose won the US PGA event, hosted by Jack Nicklaus, in 2010 and was second last year, losing to Sweden’s David Lingmerth in a play-off.

The world No. 1 10 hasn’t played since finishing equal 19th at the US PGA Tour’s Players Championship three weeks ago.

His back trouble also prompted him to withdraw from last week’s European Tour PGA Championship at Wentworth.

However, he said there last week that he was “upbeat” about his chances of being fit for the US Open at Oakmont in Pennsylvania in June.

Rose won the US Open at Merion in 2013.