Defending champion Tom Kim withdraws from Wyndham Championship

The Wyndham Championship announced Wednesday that defending champion Tom Kim has withdrawn due to an ankle injury. He suffered a Grade 1 tear after slipping in the backyard of his rental house after the first round of last week's Open Championship.

After debating whether to withdraw , Kim gutted his way to a second-place finish at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. He had to alter his swing over the weekend because of the pain in his ankle but still shot three consecutive rounds in the 60s to tie for second with Jason Day, Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka.

He treated the injury with casting, heavy icing and rehab throughout the rest of the tournament. On advice from his medical team, Kim flew to Korea for treatment afterward. He still posted his best finish in a major and his second consecutive top-10 after a T8 at the U.S. Open.

“I am very gutted to not be able to defend my first PGA TOUR win,” Kim said in a statement. “I am still having a hard time with my ankle so I am getting the treatment I need to heal completely.”

Kim, 21, earned his first PGA TOUR victory at last year's Wyndham Championship, overcoming a quadruple-bogey on his opening hole to win by five. Kim shot 61 in the final round, including a front-nine 28. He later won a second title at the Shriners Children's Open, becoming the first player since Tiger Woods to win twice on TOUR before turning 21. He also starred for the International Team at last year's Presidents Cup.

Kim is currently 17th in the Official World Golf Ranking and 14th in the FedExCup.

Wyndham Championship executive director Mark Brazil said, “We totally understand Tom’s decision to be 100 percent healthy before he plays again... He has a long career ahead of him, and taking care of his body is the right call. We wish him all the best for a quick recovery and a great run in the FedExCup Playoffs.”