Koepka faces race to be ready for Masters

Brooks Koepka won his first major in 2017, but his plans for the 2018 Masters have been hit by a wrist injury.

Brooks Koepka

Reigning U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka faces a race against time to be fit for the Masters after partially tearing a tendon in his left wrist.

Koepka, ranked eighth in the world, last played at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii two weeks ago where he finished 34th and last, failing to break 74.

The 27-year-old is now set to miss the next eight to 12 weeks, with the first major of the year at Augusta starting on April 5.

"I am frustrated that I will now not be able to play my intended schedule," Koepka said in a statement released through his management company. 

"But I am confident in my doctors and in the treatment they have prescribed and I look forward to teeing it up at the Masters... I look forward to a quick and successful recovery."

Koepka won his first major at Erin Hills last year, claiming victory by four strokes.

He then won the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament and finished tied-second at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, vaulting into the top 10 in the world rankings.

Koepka is second in the United States Ryder Cup rankings, so the injury should not have too much of an impact on his chances of playing at Le Golf National in September.