Schwartzel hit by stroke of bad luck

Defending champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa was struck on the left wrist by a golf ball on Wednesday and withdrew from a pro-am after 10 holes ahead of Thursday’s start to the PGA Valspar Championship in Tampa, Florida.

A ball struck by one of Schwartzel’s amateur playing partners on the first hole bounced off a tree and struck the 2011 Masters champion, causing his wrist to swell and his hand to briefly go numb.

“I’ve played golf for 28 years now and I’ve never been hit by a ball until this morning,” Schwartzel said. “It was a bit of a fluke. Really bad luck.”