Trevor Immelman withdraws due to illness

Masters champion Trevor Immelman pulled out of the Players Championship on Friday because of illness, leaving the PGA Tour's flagship event without one of its drawcards.

According to his manager, the South African woke up on Thursday morning suffering from an upset stomach and vomiting before returning to his American home in Orlando to recover.

"Trevor is certainly disappointed with the timing of this illness as the Players Championship is a tournament he and all the players look forward to each year," his manager Jon Wagner said in a statement.

"His main focus now, though, is to use this time that he had previously scheduled off to get well and to prepare himself for the next event."

Immelman, who became the first South African to win the Masters since Gary Player in 1978, has been replaced in the 144-man field by 23-year-old American Dustin Johnson.

In the build-up to this week's tournament at Sawgrass, Immelman said he needed to spend some time away from the game after battling for form since claiming his first major title.

He has missed the cut in his last two PGA Tour starts and had planned to take two weeks off with his family after the Players Championship.