Luke Donald out of the Open

Luke Donald will be forced to miss at least the next three to four weeks, including The Open Championship, after suffering a wrist injury during the final round at the U.S. Open last month.

Donald was diagnosed with a subluxation of the Extensor Carpi Ulnaris (ECU) tendon in his left wrist by Dr. Brian Cohen, a hand specialist in London, England, and they have discussed a number of rehabilitation options, including surgery.

I first felt a 'pop' in my wrist on the 15th tee during the final round of the U.S. Open, and over the past three weeks I have been meeting with hand specialists to determine the best course of treatment for the injury, said Donald. I consider The Open Championship to be at the top of the list of the four biggest tournaments I play each year, so it is obviously extremely disappointing to not be able to be at Royal Birkdale. The fact that it is a Ryder Cup year is also frustrating, but you can't account for injuries, and the important thing is for me to focus on what's best for my long-term health.

My preference is to try and do everything I can to rehabilitate the injury naturally and leave surgery as the last resort, continued Donald. After consulting a number of hand specialists, I plan on following a prescribed rehabilitation schedule for the next three to four weeks as they are optimistic about the chances to heal the injury without surgery, but if surgery is deemed necessary, I have been assured that it is a fairly common procedure with a high success rate.