Jason Day to miss Players Championship with thumb injury

Jason Day of Australia has been suffering from injury and illness. Photograph: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Jason Day's persistent thumb injury continues to dog his season, now ruling him out of the lucrative Players Championship next week.

Day placed the left thumb in a cast for two weeks after the Masters to immobilise the joint and stimulate healing but the method has failed to have him ready for what is known as the ‘fifth major'.

Also suffering from a bout of bronchitis, the world No.6 is now hopeful of a return at the Memorial Tournament, hosted by Jack Nicklaus, in his US backyard in Columbus, Ohio from May 29.

After failing to commit to the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, Day admitted to further frustration with the injury that has seen him play just once since claiming the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship in February. "It's tough but I just have to put this thing front and centre now and make sure it heals," Day said via text message.

Traditionally the Memorial Tournament would also constitute Day's last start before the US Open a fortnight later, this year's event being held at Pinehurst in North Carolina.

The Queenslander has been runner-up twice at the US Open, including last year at Merion where he had the lead with eight holes to play.

The injury has come at an awful time for the 26-year-old who was in career form and set to push on from his World Cup win last November in Australia and his WGC triumph earlier in the year.

Adam Scott spearheads the now nine-man Australian contingent who have qualified for the Players Championship where he will once again have the chance to become the No.1 player in the world.

Stuart Appleby, Aaron Baddeley, Steven Bowditch, Greg Chalmers, Matt Jones, Marc Leishman, Geoff Ogilvy and John Senden join Scott in the field.