McDowell struggles with injury

Graeme McDowell is still struggling with the leg injury which forced him out of the Irish Open after a course record 61 last week.

The Ryder Cup ace managed only a 75 in the opening round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and then headed off for a scan which he hoped would end fears that he may have a stress fracture.

The problem was described as shin splints at Baltray on his withdrawal last Saturday, but McDowell said the physios he had seen ‘are not really sure what's on and are a little bit worried about it’.

He added: ‘I wasn't feeling too good, which affected my focus. I'm hoping to play tomorrow, but it depends what the scan shows.

‘They don't think it's a stress fracture, but if it was there's a chance I could break my leg (as Richard Boxall did at the 1991 Open), so that's why I'm getting it checked out.’