Matthew Fitzpatrick withdrew from the 2022 The Genesis Invitational field on Thursday before the first round at Riviera Country Club.
According to the PGA Tour, Fitzpatrick withdrew from the best PGA Tour event of 2022, but they did not give a specific reason. He is said to have had a stomach bug that's not COVID-related.
Fitzpatrick was the one of the highest-ranked players in the field at Riviera Country Club, but he did not compete in the Wednesday pro-am ahead of the event and was suspected to be a potential WD based on that.
Ultimately, Fitzpatrick, who has a pair of top-15 finishes in the last five years of this event, chose to not risk it and withdrew. The Northwestern product (for a year) was a favorite among sharp DFS players and bettors who liked his course history.
Fitzpatrick is replaced in the field of 120 players by Alex Smalley, who was the first alternate left to get into the field.
Smalley will tee off on Thursday in Round 1 at 6:40 a.m. local time with Keegan Bradley and Alex Noren.
