Jason Day has withdrawn from the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his last pre Masters event, after failing to recover from a thumb injury.
Day pulled the pin after a flare up of the ligament during practice in Orlando early on Monday morning.
Day suffered the injury during his win at the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship before withdrawing from the WGC Cadillac Championship two weeks ago.
He will now head to Augusta National for the Masters, where he has a runner up and third place finish on his resume in three attempts, without a stroke play event since playing at Pebble Beach on February 6-9.
Day fronted at Bay Hill Club and Lodge confident he would take his place despite not testing the injury fully, but quickly realised he needed more time off.
"I didn't hit any full shots for the last 12 days and I was just practising my short game from 50 yards and in for about three and a half hours a day and it was fine and felt great, Day told AAP.
"I thought that was a good thing, especially hitting out of bunkers as you hit it pretty hard. So I went down to Orlando, feeling like I could play but I strapped my thumb this morning, hit a few balls and the pain came back again so I just have to rest up."
The world No.4 will visit a hand specialist again later this week to see if there is anything he can do to speed up recovery to ensure his Masters dream stays alive.
He will also have his back examined after tweaking it playing with 20-month-old son Dash last week.
"The big thing is I need to get it right and ready for the Masters," he said with the April 10-13 major looming.
"Missing these two tournaments is frustrating and annoying but it is nothing in the big picture."
Day is no stranger to injury around Masters time, withdrawing from the 2012 event mid-round with an ankle injury after deciding to try to play through pain.
"If I get to Augusta and it is like this, which I am hoping it isn't, I don't know what I will do, he said.
"Hopefully worst case scenario is just a small bit of pain I can try to work through and best case it is gone away and I can play golf without flinching at the ball.
Adam Scott, Stuart Appleby, Greg Chalmers, Aaron Baddeley, Matt Jones, Marc Leishman, Rod Pampling, and Valspar Championship PGA winner John Senden will now carry Australian hopes into this week's event.
