Defending champion Fowler to miss Korea Open golf with injury

Defending champion Rickie Fowler will miss Korea's national golf tournament next week with a back injury, the event's organizers said Friday.

Organizers of the 55th Kolon Korean Open, set for Oct. 18 to 21, said Fowler sent an e-mail apology Thursday night for his withdrawal. They said Fowler later made a phone call to convey his disappointment over the decision.

Earlier Friday, Korean time, Fowler issued a statement through the PGA Tour's Web site to announce his withdrawal.

"Unfortunately, while not serious, I have battled a back issue for the past few months, and my doctors have instructed me that international travel and any tournament play is not in my best interest at this time," Fowler said. "They have instructed me rather to focus on a therapy regimen in order to find relief as well as prevent potential issues in the future."

Fowler, 23, captured the 2011 Korea Open in wire-to-wire fashion and was looking to become the sixth player to successfully defend the championship. Voted the top rookie of the 2010 PGA Tour season, Fowler claimed the Wells Fargo Championship in May this year for his first PGA Tour win, but the Korean win was his first as a professional.

"My friends and fans there made me feel very welcome," Fowler said. "And Korea will always have special meaning for me as the place I won my first pro trophy."

The 55th Kolon Korea Open will be played on the par-71, 7,225-yard Woojeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul. The winner's paycheck will be 300 million won ($269,400), the largest offered at a golf tournament held in Korea.

The Korea Open is co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour and OneAsia Tour, which was founded in 2009 as a joint venture between golf associations of South Korea, China and the PGA Tour of Australasia. (Yonhap)