Harrington, Molinari withdraw from PGA Championship

FILE PHOTO: Golf - European Tour - BMW PGA Championship - Wentworth Golf Club, Virginia Water, Britain - September 20, 2019 Italy's Francesco Molinari in action during the second round Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

Major champions Francesco Molinari and Padraig Harrington have withdrawn from next week's PGA Championship in San Francisco, tournament organisers said on Thursday.

Neither player has competed on the PGA Tour since it resumed from the COVID-19 shutdown.

The PGA Championship was originally scheduled for May before it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be the first of three majors set to take place this year.

FILE PHOTO: Golf - Ryder Cup - 2020 Ryder Cup Press Conference - Wentworth Golf Club, Virginia Water, Britain - September 18, 2019 The 2020 Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington during a press conference Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo

Harrington, a winner of three major titles and Europe's Ryder Cup captain, has been replaced by American Talor Gooch for the tournament at TPC Harding Park, organisers said in a statement.

Molinari, the 2018 British Open champion, has been replaced by Troy Merritt.

Eddie Pepperell, Lee Westwood and Y.E. Yang have already opted not to compete.

(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)