Golf Events / Editor / 22 May 2007 /

David Howell will not have the chance to defend his title at the BMW PGA Championship as back problems have forced him out of the event.

The 31-year-old claimed the trophy 12 months ago, after carding a 17-under par score for a five-shot victory.

The Englishman has suffered with back problems for some time and has been receiving treatment to try and ease the pain.

But the Ryder Cup star has failed to recover in time to feature at Wentworth and, despite being bitterly disappointed, feels it is the right decision for his long-term future.

"I felt I couldn't risk it," he said. "I hit 50 shots today (Monday) just as I did two days ago to see how it felt. Unfortunately I wasn't pain-free.

"I have had scans on the SI joint and it shows signs of strain. I wanted to give it a shot and I checked with the physio but we felt it was really too soon to play.

"At the end of the day it was a common sense decision. The scans had shown inflammation and I didn't want to endanger my health for other big events later in the season. It was close, but not close enough."

Despite Howell's absence the field is packed with stars, with seven of the world's top 15 on view at the Surrey venue.

South African Ernie Els is the market leader at 9.6, while Vijay Singh of Fiji trades at 14.
Luke Donald, making a rare appearance in Europe, is available at 18.5 with Retief Goosen on offer at 17.5.

In-form duo Henrik Stenson and Padraig Harrington are available to back at 18 and 19 respectively.

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