Next week’s U.S. Senior Open lost two notable players from its field on Thursday as World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Watson and 1996 U.S. Open champion and former University of Colorado golfer Steve Jones withdrew from the competition at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
The USGA said that Watson, winner of 39 PGA Tour events and eight majors, has pulled out for personal reasons. And Jones, who in March posted his highest finish ever in a PGA Tour Champions event, withdrew due to knee surgery.
Those two WDs come on the heels of 12-time PGA Tour winner Steve Stricker withdrawing on Wednesday due to an overloaded schedule after playing in the U.S. Open last week.
Jones, the winner of eight PGA Tour events, finished a PGA Tour Champions career-best sixth at the Toshiba Classic in March. His two tournaments on the circuit this year were his first since December 2015, when he suffered an elbow injury. The knee problem is the latest in a series of injuries and maladies that have considerably curtailed the former Buff’s career.
Filling the spots previously held in the 156-man field by Watson and Jones will be PGA Tour veterans Len Mattiace and Guy Boros, who were the first alternates at separate qualifying sites.
