Tom Watson withdraws from Colonial tournament

The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial has already lost one of its bigger names in this year's field.

Eight-time major winner Tom Watson informed tournament officials on Monday morning that he would not play in the event this week.

Watson backed out of the tournament to attend the funeral of his longtime mentor, Stan Thirsk, who passed away Saturday in the Kansas City area.

Watson, 65, won the 1998 event and has surprised many by his ability to stay competitive in the twilight years of his career.

Watson does not play many PGA Tour events, though, and has played in only two this year -- the Masters and the RBC Heritage.

Watson will not be replaced by an alternate.

This story was originally published May 18, 2015 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Tom Watson withdraws from Colonial tournament."