THE OPEN RELATED STORIES The Open Home Page Clubhouse Leaderboard/Scores Round 4: Stewart Cink beats Tom Watson in a playoff Round 4: Paul Lawrie scores a rare albatross Round 4: Padraig Harrington positive after final 73 Round 4: Matteo Manassero wins Silver Medal Round 4: Luke Donald gains best Open finish Round 4: An eight costs Ross Fisher dear Round 4: Chris Wood so close to Open glory Round 4: Tom Watson misses fairy tale ending Round 4: Lee Westwood in "sickening" loss Round 4: Questions asked about Tiger Woods swing Round 4: Age a factor for Tom Watson Round 4: Westwood & Garcia wait for breakthrough Round 4: Tom Watson thanks Jack Nicklaus for talk Round 4: Classy Open victory from Stewart Cink Round 3: Tom Watson takes lead in to final round Round 3: Padraig Harrington stumbles to a 76 Round 3: Henrik Stenson critical of fencing Round 3: Family still comes first for Ross Fisher Round 3: Jim Furyk looking forward to Sunday Round 3: Mathew Goggin earns a major chance Round 2: Marino & Watson lead, Tiger misses cut Round 2: Tiger Woods misses the cut Round 2: Watson has sights on record sixth win Round 2: Padraig Harrington still optimistic Round 2: Calcacecchia pleased to be in the hunt Round 2: Montgomerie distracted by Lyle row Round 2: Third Round pairings and tee times Round 1: Jimenez edges ahead of Watson, Curtis Round 1: Tiger fails to shine in perfect conditions Round 1: Montgomerie in "Drama Queen" row Round 1: Harrington happy to be under par Round 1: Ben Curtis in contention at another Open Round 1: The Open gets underway at Turnberry Course Guide: Turnberry Ideal weather forecast for Turnberry Sergio Garcia still chasing elusive first major title Greg Norman still the centre of attention KJ Choi hoping practice makes perfect Ryo Ishikawa ready for new challenge Same Open strategy for Tiger Woods Colin Montgomerie unhappy with Sandy Lyle Kenny Perry happy to be at Open this year Game turning around slowly for Adam Scott Driving the key for Paul Casey Woods, Westwood & Ishikawa drawn together First and second round tee-off times Practice begins in earnest at Turnberry Thomas Levet gets late entry Phil Mickelson confirms Open withdrawal Duel in the Sun remembered Padraig Harrington prepares for Open defence Interview with Peter Thomson Trevor Immelman pulls out of The Open Tiger Woods in preparation for The Open The Open: Turnberry-Architect-Green Keeper Turnberry: Play right after the pros The Open: Prize Money 2009 European Tour Schedule Open Champions 1860-2008 Open Championship scoring and other records Open Championship quotes

Phil Mickelson confirms Open withdrawal

World number two Phil Mickelson has officially withdrawn from next week’s British Open in order to be with his wife Amy as she undergoes breast cancer treatment.

The American left-hander had been expected to pull out of the July 16-19 championship at Turnberry.

“As a professional golfer, competing in major championships and winning them is my main objective,” he told his website (www.philmickelson.com) on Friday.

“But I’ve always said family is my number one priority. For that reason I won’t be playing the British Open at Turnberry.”

Mickelson, who told reporters at last month’s U.S. Open that his appearance in the second major of the season in New York would probably be his last competitive outing until August, continues to be optimistic about his wife’s recovery.

“It’s a trying time for us as we await more test results but we have excellent medical attention and care,” he said.

“We’ve received wonderful support from so many people, many of whom have gone through the same battle, and we’re optimistic, as always.”

July 14, 2009