Fedor Gorst and Skyler Woodward have both revealed that they skipped the European Open Championship and Premier League Pool due to recent health concerns.
World number one and reigning world champion Gorst and American Mosconi Cup captain Woodward were the biggest absentees from the European Open field, with the latter having reached the semi-finals last year.
Gorst travelled back to his birthplace of Russia to seek further medical advice on a neck injury that he noticed at the beginning of the year, revealing that he is now undergoing the necessary treatment.
“I started experiencing intense neck pain during the Derby City Classic – something I had been dealing with for a while but never really addressed,” he said via Facebook.
“After the event, I got an MRI in the US, which showed a bulging disc and a tear in my C3-C4. This was a wake-up call, as ignoring it could have affected the longevity of my career.
“Wanting the best medical advice, I decided to go to Russia, where I trust the doctors and have better connections. Surprisingly, after another MRI there, the results were completely different from the US scan.
“While I still have pain, it’s not as severe as originally diagnosed. I’m now undergoing proper treatment and making sure my body is ready for the big tournaments ahead.”
Former European Open semi-finalist Woodward, meanwhile, made known that he’s also injury-stricken and undergoing treatment but announced that he will return for the upcoming Seattle Open.
“When I was playing the Bayou Classic in the end of February, I started having really bad back pain. I went to the chiropractor and doctor and they said I had a back injury,” Woodward said via Facebook.
“I started shock treatments and acupuncture. In the process my shoulder started to ache and then started hurting to where I couldn’t even turn without sharp and shooting pain, think this is from an injury when I was playing sports as a kid.
“I went to a sports medicine doctor to get stretched and some therapy going on it. I am starting to feel better and slowly getting back to normal. These 30s ain’t no joke.
“I really hate missing this event as I feel I was hitting them good. I just had to take this time to make sure I didn’t let this injury progress into something worse. I will be back and feeling better.”
