Injury sees Langer miss PGA championship

European Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer is out of not only this week’s Deutsche Bank-SAP Open in Heidelberg, but also next week’s Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth.

A wrist injury is costing Langer – joint fourth in the Masters in April – his place in two of the European tour’s richest events.

The three-time PGA champion said: “It is with deep regret that I must withdraw from the Volvo PGA Championship.

“I was looking forward immensely to competing this year as it marks the 50th anniversary of this great championship, our premier event on the European tour.

“It was a thrill to win this wonderful title once, never mind three times, and nothing would have given me greater pleasure than to have won for a fourth time next week.

“Unfortunately, my wrist is currently unable to withstand the rigours of tournament play and it is important for the remainder of the season that I make sure that the injury has healed completely before I resume competition.”

World number two Vijay Singh, number three Ernie Els and British Open champion Ben Curtis are all taking part next week over the West Course, along, of course, with most of Europe’s big guns.

The one notable exception to that is Padraig Harrington.

The Dubliner, Europe’s leading player in the world rankings at eighth, has decided to miss the event for the second year running because of a record which shows not a single top 10 finish in seven attempts.