Donald's wrist exam shows no serious problem

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MARANA, Ariz. -- After experiencing discomfort in his surgically repaired wrist Friday at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and being forced to concede his third-round match against Ernie Els, Luke Donald had his wrist examined by the doctor who performed the original surgery and received good news.

Dr. Andrew Weiland, of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, examined Donald Friday night and determined that the discomfort was limited to the scar tissue, not the tendon that was repaired last year. Weiland was pleased that there was minimal swelling in the wrist and believes that treatment with anti-inflammatory medication would allow Donald to resume practicing in the next few days, and perhaps even play in next week's Honda Classic, an event he won in 2006.

"I'm obviously very pleased with Dr. Weiland's diagnosis, and while I was disappointed to have to withdraw from the Accenture Match Play Championship, I wanted to make sure I was doing what was best for my long-term health," said Donald. "I will consult with him over the coming days and certainly would love to be able to play in the Honda Classic next week, an event that means a great deal to me."

Donald first suffered the injury to the wrist during the final round of the 2008 U.S. Open and was subsequently diagnosed with a subluxation of the Extensor Carpi Ulnaris (ECU) tendon. Weiland performed surgery on the wrist on Aug. 11 and Donald missed the remainder of the 2008 season.

He returned to action in January at the Sony Open in Hawaii and is enjoying a strong start to the 2009 season with back-to-back top-10 finishes in his past two starts, as well as defeating Vijay Singh in the second round of the Accenture Match Play Championship.