A trio of international golfers, including Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain, has
withdrawn from this week's PGA Tour event following last week's attacks in the
US.
Olazabal, Frenchman Jean Van de Velde and Paraguayan Carlos Franco have all pulled
out of the Pennsylvania Classic, citing travel difficulties.
Several Americans have also withdrawn from the $3.3 million event, which starts
on Thursday.
But the field is still strong, with five members of the American Ryder Cup
team - Paul Azinger, Mark Calcavecchia, Stewart Cink, Jim Furyk and Scott Verplank - entered to play.
Following the cancellation of last week's PGA Tour events, as well as the postponement
of next week's Ryder Cup, the mood this week is certain to be sombre, but many
players are still looking forward to returning to action.
"The players are ready to get back to business, instead of watching tragedy
on TV," said Rocco Mediate, speaking from Pennsylvania.
He also said the decision to postpone the Ryder Cup for a year was the right
one: "I would not have gone, because of safety and I don't think anybody
else would have," said Mediate, who did not make the American team anyway.
