Na will be replaced in the field for the 3-6 December tournament by England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who makes his second appearance in the Nedbank Golf Challenge. He finished tied 14th last year.

According to Na’s management company, Empire Sports Management, the Korean-born American has decided to rest his injured back.

“Kevin’s back is not in good shape at the moment.He has decided to err on the side of caution and withdraw in order to give his back the appropriate amount of time for rest and rehab.

“Kevin acknowledges that this will be disappointing news. He was looking forward to a return trip since he had such a good experience last year,” said his manager, Kevin Lynch.

Fleetwood heads back to Sun City as one of the European Tour’s most consistent players over the past two seasons. This year he had four top-10s on the European Tour, including third in the Shenzhen International, tied fifth in the WGC-Cadillac Match Play and tied sixth in the BMW PGA Championship.

The 30th and final place in “Africa’s Major” will be taken by the winner of the Alfred Dunhill Championship this weekend.

Photo: Tommy Fleetwood