VIRGINIA WATER, England -- Vijay Singh withdrew from the BMW PGA Championship before it began Thursday because of a muscle injury.
The former top-ranked player injured a muscle below his ribs on his left side. He said it happened after he arrived Monday.
"Perhaps I started hitting balls a little cold after the long trip, or didn't warm up properly," Singh said. "Coming off the flight I was fine and I was excited about playing."
Singh, who tied for third last year, said he has had a lot of treatment to overcome the injury.
"Every day I had ice and then heat and I thought I was actually getting better," he said. "I had ultrasound treatment on it, too. Whatever they could do for me I had."
He said he still hoped to play when he went to the range Thursday morning ahead of his afternoon tee time.
"It was OK until I hit a 3-wood and it kind of started catching me again. It is a very sharp pain which was unbearable at times," Singh said. "I don't get injured that often and this is a weird one. It is not my ribs, it is not my back. It is the oblique muscle in my ribs. I think there might be a little tear in there as well."
Singh said he would go home to Florida to rest and would try to play at the Memorial next week.
