Harrington Doubt After Father Dies

Padraig Harrington looks set to pull out of this week's Open Championship following the death of his father Patrick. Harrington was told the week after his victory in the Honda Classic in the United States in March that his father, a former policeman, had contracted cancer of the oesophagus.

The world No9 debated whether to play in the Masters, but his father's condition was such that he was able to make the trip. Harrington went on to win the Barclays Classic but his father's health deteriorated further.

Last night a spokesperson for the International Management Group, which looks after Harrington's interests, said the decision on whether he would play at St Andrews had not yet been taken.

In March Harrington had praised his father, saying "he taught me the art of scoring".

Bernhard Langer will make his 27th appearance at the Open after receiving a late call-up yesterday. Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson and Brian Davis, the Londoner who was sixth at Sandwich in 2003, were also late entries after Shingo Katayama, Jay Haas and David Howell all withdrew with injuries.

Howell sustained an abdominal injury while hitting balls on the driving range at the US Open last month. He had hoped to be fit but feared the worst. "I was told that it wasn't a normal golfing injury and I've certainly never had anything like it," he said.

Davis was about to leave his home to fly to the BC Open in New York. As third reserve, he never expected to get the call.

"I didn't even know about reserves coming off the world rankings and when I looked at it I still thought I had no chance," he said.

The withdrawals rubbed further salt into Greg Owen's wounds. Owen would have been a replacement but was deemed to have withdrawn from the Open when he did not play in the US qualifier in New Jersey two weeks ago.