Donald to miss British Open with wrist injury

LONDON -- Luke Donald of England will miss the British Open next week because of a wrist injury that will keep him out of competition for three to four weeks, jeopardizing his hopes of qualifying for the Ryder Cup team.

Donald said in a statement Friday that he felt a pop in his wrist on the 15th tee of the final round at the U.S. Open, and he has been meeting with doctors over the last three weeks to figure out the best way to treat it. Surgery is among the options.

"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 extremely disappointing to not be able to be at Royal Birkdale," Donald said.

The British Open starts Thursday. Donald would be replaced by Pat Perez, who was the first alternate.

Donald, a former NCAA champion at Northwestern, is No. 9 in the Ryder Cup standings based on world ranking points earned since September. His injury means European captain Nick Faldo might have to use one of his two picks on Donald, if he is healthy enough to play at Valhalla in September.