SYDNEY -- Leading local hope Jason Day has withdrawn from Australian Golf Open because of a back injury.
Doctors and trainers advised the No. 8-ranked Day to take several months off to tackle issues which include a bulging disc in his back and wrist and hand injuries.
The Australian Associated Press reports Day signaled his intention for an extended break after the Tour Championship in Atlanta but did not formally tell Golf Australia until Wednesday.
The field for the Australian Open, which begins Nov. 27, includes top-ranked Rory McIlroy, the defending champion, and No. 2 Adam Scott.
Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt says Day "needs to attend to his physical health at the end of a long season when he's struggled with injuries."