Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington has opted to undergo neck surgery in a bid to be fit for The Open's return to Royal Birkdale in July.
He had hoped to avoid the operation despite suffering from a trapped nerve since the end of last season, but announced his decision on social media on Tuesday.
The 45-year-old, who became the first European to make a successful defence of The Open since James Braid in 1906 at Birkdale in 2008, wrote on Twitter: "Sorry I'm missing out on honouring Arnold Palmer's legacy at the @APinv this week.