European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke has withdrawn from next week's U.S. Open, explaining that his preparations for the biennial matches at Hazeltine have taken a priority recently over fine-tuning his own game.
Clarke, 47, was in the last year of the five-year exemption he received for his Open Championship win at Royal St. George's in 2011. He has missed the cut each of the last three years at the U.S. Open, and the Ulsterman hasn't played the weekend at the season's second major since 2006.
He hasn't displayed much form this year, either, missing the cut in six of his eight worldwide starts.