Paul Lawrie pulls out of Hong Kong Open and flies home

Paul Lawrie has withdrawn from the Hong Kong Open without hitting a single shot, even in practice.
The 40-year-old Aberdonian injured in back at the start of the week in lifting the considerable weight of his tour golf bag off the scales at an airport in transit.
This is what Paul has to say on his website:

Wednesday 11th November
Although my back is a little better today it is still unfortunately not good enough to play. It was very stiff this morning, I tried to swing in the room every hour to check to make sure before pulling out but I feel it at impact. I fly home tonight getting into Aberdeen early tomorrow morning.

... Paul's Dubai World Championship hopes dashed

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By NICK RODGER AND ANDREW MULLEN
Paul Lawrie's hopes of a place in the Dubai World Championship were dashed tonight after the Scot was forced to withdraw from the UBS Hong Kong Open with a back injury.
The 1999 Open champion had travelled to the Far East in a last-ditch effort to force his way up from 82nd on the Race to Dubai rankings and into a top-60 finish needed to qualify for this month's season-ending shoot-out.
But a niggling back problem, which caused Lawrie to pull out of the pre-tournament Pro-Am, has not improved, and the former Ryder Cup player is on his way home to Aberdeen.
He said: "My back is a little better, but it's still not good enough to play. I tried to swing in the room every hour to make sure before pulling out, but I was feeling it at impact."
Rory McIlroy is one of the headline acts in Hong Kong and the world No 17 is the centre of attention after confirming that he will take out a full US PGA Tour card next season. After much speculation, McIlroy will join Ian Poulter, Padraig Harrington and Paul Casey in splitting their schedules either side of the Atlantic.
The 20-year-old Ryder Cup contender said the move was designed to help improve his world ranking and ensure he puts himself up against the world's best on a regular basis in order to be better prepared for the majors and World Golf Championship events.
Poulter reckons McIlroy now faces the most testing 12 months of his young career.
"Rory has got himself into a position where he is 17 in the world; he has quickly put himself on the big stage," said Poulter, who joined the US PGA Tour in 2005.
"If he wants to play on the US Tour, then great. He is going to play in tournaments which have better fields than the ones he is in now. If he wants to take his card up it is going to be hard work. I have done it for the last few years – it is very tiring – but you can keep your status in Europe and on the US Tour and finish high up on both lists.
"I would expect him to finish high up on both orders of merit on both sides. The opportunity is there and you can't blame him for giving it a go."
McIlroy played 11 events on the US Tour last season, including all four majors and all three World Golf Championship events, and only needs to play four more to fulfil his new obligation.
"I'm not saying this to big up myself, but you can see from my efforts in the majors and the World Golf Championships this year that I like to play in those fields because I just seem to be up for them, and they offer a bigger challenge," said McIlroy.
"I am just in a privileged position where I play wherever I want, and, besides, I earned enough money in US Tour events to get my card so I have taken out membership."
Lee Westwood, another Race to Dubai contender, Oliver Wilson, Simon Dyson and Poulter are all in the Hong Kong field. Scott Drummond, the 2005 Volvo PGA Championship winner, must claim at least seventh to retain his Tour card, with his five-year exemption set to run out.