Jake Knapp began the 2026 PGA Tour season with strong momentum: seven top-11 finishes in his first eight starts, averaged 319.8 yards off the tee, and earned $3.08 million before April. However, his progress was halted by a left thumb injury after the Masters, and since then, it has been one miss after another. The latest one comes at the Memorial Tournament.

Tuesday’s field update from PGA TOUR Communications noted that Jake Knapp has withdrawn from the $20 million signature event, giving the spot to Sudarshan Yellamaraju. Knapp’s thumb injury has now kept him out of a fourth consecutive event, and this is also Knapp’s fifth withdrawal of the 2026 season overall. The sequence of withdrawals makes the picture clearer. In March, Knapp exited from the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, and then in April, he pulled out of the Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral less than an hour before his Thursday tee time.

In May, he withdrew from the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow, another $20 million event off his schedule. Then came the PGA Championship at Aronimink. The Bay Hill withdrawal was unrelated to the thumb, however. Reports confirmed it was a minor back issue from a heavy early schedule. His coach, Boyd Summerhays, said Knapp had played nine holes on consecutive days and felt fine. The thumb injury appeared after that and has persisted, which has thrown a monkey wrench into what looked to be a promising season.

Before the injury, Knapp’s numbers showed he was a real contender. His scoring average was third on Tour at 68.68. He ranked sixth in Strokes Gained: Total. He led the PGA Tour in scrambling from the rough at 79.25%.

His T11 finish at the Masters proved his form. Fred Couples, who played practice rounds with him, told reporters he believed Knapp could win at Augusta. However, his injury has kept him out of pro golf for a long time now. It is quite unfortunate because Knapp was playing some of the best golf of his PGA Tour career.

Last year, he managed four top tens in 23 tournaments, a mark that he has surpassed in just nine tournaments this year. He has also surpassed his total earnings from last season before crossing the halfway mark this year. The resurgence was inspiring considering the personal tragedy he endured last season.

Knapp’s girlfriend Makena White passed away last September. They were together for two years, and White was frequently seen outside the ropes cheering for Knapp.

After her passing, Knapp said in an official statement, “Makena was such a thoughtful person whose selflessness toward others is something I will always appreciate. We shared so many unforgettable memories together, and now that she’s no longer with us, it’s a tough reality to comprehend.”

Now it remains to be seen how quickly he can bounce back from this injury setback. With Knapp out, Yellamaraju will get a chance at Muirfield Village, though their path to the event is far from typical.

Jake Knapp’s replacement at the Memorial Tournament has a unique story

Sudarshan Yellamaraju is not a typical PGA Tour alternate. At 24, he was born in Visakhapatnam, India, and moved to Winnipeg at age four when his father took an IT job. He learned golf by watching YouTube videos, studying Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, and copying the best swings he could find. He had no academy, no swing coach, and no formal training.

He turned down college golf offers because the scholarships did not cover enough. At 19, he turned professional and began playing Ontario mini-tours and the Minor League Golf Tour in Florida, then moved up to the Korn Ferry Tour. In 2025, he won the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic and finished 19th on the points list. That was close to the cut line, so the final day of the Tour Championship was critical. He earned his PGA Tour card and made an immediate impact with a T5 at The Players Championship in March.

Knapp has not commented on his injury. There is no timeline for his return. The Memorial Tournament will go ahead without him, and for now, silence is the only update on one of the Tour’s most anticipated stories for 2026.