A mysterious injury has caused a last-minute shake-up at women’s golf’s first major, as one pro made a sudden exit from the $9 million Chevron Championship before play even began. On the morning of April 23, the LPGA Tour’s official communication accounts posted a brief but important update.

Erica Shepherd had withdrawn from the Chevron Championship before the first round due to injuries. No further explanation is shared. Shepherd had been scheduled to tee off at 8:39 AM from the 10th tee alongside Jenny Shin and Jodi Ewart Shadoff.

Bailey Tardy, who stepped into her place, has been here before. The 29-year-old American held the second-round lead at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open before finishing tied for fourth and won her first LPGA title at the 2024 Blue Bay LPGA by four strokes. She enters Memorial Park with major experience that Shepherd has yet to accumulate.

Shepherd had made just two LPGA Tour starts in 2026 before the Chevron Championship and missed the cut in both, making this an important opportunity to reset her season. A two-time All-American at Duke University, she also competed in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur four times before turning professional in 2024. She joined the LPGA Tour this season but has yet to fully capitalize on the opportunity.

The tournament itself carries weight beyond the early buzz, as the championship has drawn a full field of 132 players competing for $9 million. The Chevron Championship moved to Memorial Park, a public course in the heart of Houston, adding a new dimension this year, especially with 48 of the top 50 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings in the field. The field is headlined by a mix of dominant forces and recent winners, including World No. 1 Atthaya Thitikul, USA’s Nelly Korda, Australia’s red-hot Hannah Green, and defending champion Mao Saigo.

Shepherd’s exit is not the only injury-related concern this week. World No. 4 Charley Hull has also arrived in Houston while still managing an ankle ligament injury sustained at last year’s PIF London Championship. While the competition remains compelling, a pattern of injuries and limited disclosure continues to raise questions.

Her withdrawal adds to a growing trend of undisclosed exits on the LPGA Tour.

A Pattern of Withdrawals Has Marked the LPGA Tour’s Run-Up to Major Season

Shepherd’s Round 1 exit comes at the end of a week in which player withdrawals became a recurring story across the LPGA Tour. Just days earlier, at the JM Eagle LA Championship in California, two major winners stepped away before the second round. Hyo Joo Kim, ranked No. 3 in the world, withdrew citing a neck injury. Minjee Lee, a three-time major winner, followed with no reason given.

Across all three exits, the LPGA’s official communication was the same: a confirmation of the withdrawal, a reference to injury where applicable, and nothing further.

The Chevron Championship is the LPGA Tour’s most visible moment of the season so far. It is where the tour makes its first major statement of 2026 in front of its largest audience. For the tour, the question of how it handles and communicates player exits, especially heading into major weeks, remains an open one.