SAD NEWS🛑 PGA Tour star Jason Day forced to pull out of PGA Championship 2025 for a heartbreaking reason that shocked fans👇
Jason Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner and a former World No. 1, has left the golf community in mourning after withdrawing from the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow due to a heartbreaking health setback. The 37-year-old Australian, who showed promising signs of a career resurgence in recent years, announced his withdrawal just days before the tournament’s opening round, citing a severe illness that has forced him to step back from competition. The news has shattered the hopes of his die-hard fans, who were eager to see him reclaim his past glory at a course where he’s historically excelled.
Day’s team confirmed the withdrawal on April 24 via a PGA Tour Communications update on X: “Jason Day – WD (illness); Danny Walker – IN.” Sources close to the golfer revealed that Day has been battling a debilitating viral infection, which worsened in the days leading up to the event, leaving him unable to compete. “It’s heartbreaking for Jason,” an insider told Golf Digest. “He was feeling optimistic after a strong start to 2025, but his body just isn’t cooperating.” This isn’t the first time health issues have derailed Day’s career—he’s faced chronic back injuries and vertigo in the past—but the timing of this setback, on the cusp of a major, has hit particularly hard.
The Australian golfer had been on an upward trajectory since the 2023-2024 season, showing flashes of the form that made him a dominant force in 2015-2016, when he won eight titles, including the 2015 PGA Championship and the 2016 Players Championship. At his peak, Day was a juggernaut, securing five consecutive top-10 finishes in majors and holding the World No. 1 ranking for 51 weeks—an achievement few modern golfers can match. His 2016 Players Championship win at TPC Sawgrass, where he triumphed by four strokes, remains one of his most iconic performances, cementing his status as a global golfing powerhouse.
Day’s resurgence in 2025 had reignited fan excitement. He kicked off the year with a T3 at the American Express—one of his best results in recent years—followed by a T8 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, proving his stability in high-stakes events. Fans hoped the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, where Day finished T9 in 2017, would be the stage for a triumphant return. His earlier withdrawal from the 2025 Players Championship in March due to a similar illness foreshadowed this latest setback, but the timing—right before a major—has left supporters devastated.
Fans on X expressed their sorrow, with one writing, “Jason Day out of the PGA Championship due to illness? This is gut-wrenching.” Another posted, “He was playing so well lately—why does this keep happening to him?” Fellow players shared their support, with Rory McIlroy, currently at the Zurich Classic, saying, “Jason’s a fighter. I hate seeing him go through this.” Scottie Scheffler added, “We all want him back out here soon—he’s too good to be sidelined.”
The PGA Championship, starting May 15, will now proceed without Day, with McIlroy, Scheffler, and defending champion Xander Schauffele as favorites. Day has not set a return date, focusing instead on recovery. “I’ll be back when I’m healthy,” he wrote on Instagram. “Thanks to my fans for the love—I’ll need it.” As the golf world rallies around him, Day’s absence serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of even the greatest careers.
