A SECOND big-name golfer has pulled out of this weekend’s Zozo Championship after being directly affected by COVID-19, as Adam Scott, the 15th-ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings, withdrew from the field Wednesday after testing positive for the virus.

Scott is the second top-15 golfer to withdraw from the event at Sherwood County Club in California, the United States, joining Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world who is still recovering after testing positive ahead of last week’s CJ Cup in Las Vegas.

“While it’s difficult news to receive — as I really looked forward to playing this week — my focus now is on recovery for the final stretch of the fall,” said Scott in a statement.

Jim Herman will replace Scott in this week’s Zozo Championship field.

Scott’s last outing on the PGA Tour came in September at the U.S. Open, where he finished T38 on the week.

He won his first event on the tour in four years in February at the Genesis Invitational and notched five top-25 finishes in the year.

Unfortunately, Scott is just the latest golfer in a growing list to have his plans derailed by COVID-19. Johnson tested positive last week and missed the CJ Cup in addition to this week’s Zozo Championship, and Tony Finau tested positive in early October, forcing him to withdraw from the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Last month, Scottie Scheffler and Sam Horsfield also tested positive and had to pull out of the U.S. Open.(SD-Agencies)