Defending champion Jason Dufner, who has been battling a neck injury, withdrew from the 96th PGA Championship after only 10 holes of his opening round on Thursday.

The 37-year-old American who outduelled Jim Furyk in last year’s final round at Oak Hill to win his first major title was eight-over par when he decided to pull out.

Dufner, who stands in position to qualify for the US Ryder Cup team, had been troubled by bulging neck discs that limited his head and shoulder mobility.

After starting with a double bogey and following with bogeys at the second and third holes, Dufner took a bogey at the sixth and endured a triple-bogey nightmare at the par-5 10th that pushed him to walk off the course.