Thursday, August 17 2006 16:11 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: Darren Clarke's participation in next month's Ryder Cup in Ireland looks increasingly doubtful Friday (11 Aug, 2006) after he withdraws from next week's United States PGA championship, the last major of the season. The 37-year-old Ulsterman says before missing the halfway cut at the Open last month that it would be his last appearance 'for the foreseeable future' because of his wife Heather's long fight with cancer.

His name appeared on the list of entries for the US PGA, but his management company confirms that he has pulled out of the event.

Things are being reviewed week-by-week, but with Clarke only 30th in the current Ryder Cup standings, captain Ian Woosnam must know he is almost certainly going to be without the Ulsterman at the K Club near Dublin in six weeks' time.

"I will speak to Darren, but I think he pretty much said at the Open what he was doing," says Woosnam.

"If his situation is the same then obviously he is not going to play." Clarke has been a member of three winning sides - at Valderrama in 1997 on his debut, The Belfry in 2002 and then Detroit two years ago, when he scored 3 1/2 points out of a possible five.

Colin Montgomerie commented a month ago, "A European team without Darren Clarke is a weaker team."

Clarke, who missed last year's US Open because of his wife's health, begins the Open with a 69, but then crashes out of the event with a second round 82.