Why Jake Knapp withdrew from Arnold Palmer invitation only 15 mins before schedule?

Jake Knapp, the in-form American golfer, has reportedly withdrawn from the Arnold Palmer Invitation on Thursday, March 5, minutes before his scheduled tee time.

His agent confirmed that the decision was taken due to his illness. Therefore, he decided to rest ahead of next week’s Players Championship.

The nature of the illness and anything related to his current condition have not been revealed yet.

Knapp is replaced by Chinese golfer Haotong Li who was first on the alternate list in the star-studded field.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational will continue through Sunday, with Scheffler, McIlroy and a loaded field chasing the esteemed title.

The move comes at a particularly inopportune time for the 31-year-old Californian, who has been enjoying the hottest run of his PGA Tour career so far. Knapp went into the tournament ranked eighth in the FedEx Cup standings, fueled by four successive top 10 finishes.

Till now, the 31-year-old’s campaign has been remarkable. 

Knapp continued his run of consecutive top-10 finishes, which ended with his win at the Genesis Invitational tournament held last month, where he came in alone in sixth place, two strokes ahead of the world No. 1 player, Scottie Scheffler, in a tournament that also included Rory McIlroy and other golfing legends.