10 Players Withdraw From LPGA Tournament Due To Mystery Illness As Rose Zhang Cites ‘Bad Intestinal Pain’

Getty Image / Sarah Stier

10 players have withdrawn from the LPGA Tour’s Mizuho Americas Open in Jersey City held at Liberty National after the field got rocked by a mystery illness.

While the LPGA Tour hasn’t addressed the specific illness, there appears to be a clear trend that’s emerged. Rose Zhang, the 6th ranked women’s golfer in the world, is one of those who were forced to withdraw from the tournament and Zhang shed some light on nature of this LPGA Tour mystery illness.

On Instagram, Rose Zhang wrote:

“I am really disappointed that I had to withdraw from the Mizuho Americas Open today. This tournament holds a special place in my heart, having had such an amazing week last year when I captured my first LPGA Tour win here at Liberty National. I was really looking forward to trying to defend my title, but unfortunately spent the last 12 hours with really bad intestinal pain.”

“I am so grateful to my team and everyone involved in this event including Michelle Wie West. She has truly helped put on a world-class event and I wish everyone, including all of the amazing AJGA competitors, the best of luck this week.”

“I look forward to returning next year to this great event and thank you again to everyone who has been so supportive.”

The LPGA Tour’s Media account on X, formerly Twitter, is a bloodbath of withdrawals:

LPGA

LPGA

I won’t speculate on the nature of the LPGA Tour mystery illness but I will say that the last time I had food poisoning it was at Mission Chinese in Manhattan and I was hospitalized from the severity of the illness. NYC has some of the best doctors in the world! I’m not saying these ladies are all suffering from food poisoning, I’m not saying that at all. I am simply saying that going to the hospital was a game-changer because I was able to get fluids and it sounds like there might be some folks in Jersey City in need of that at the moment.

Claire Rogers was the first person I saw to call out these withdrawals:

Her mentions are full of people asking questions like ‘where’d they eat?’ and the LPGA Tour will surely make an announcement at some point but wow, 10 players and counting are out from a mystery illness and they haven’t shed light on it yet.