Paul Casey has been ruled out of next week's World Match Play Championship in Arizona due to his shoulder injury.
Casey, who was runner-up in the event two years running in 2009 and 2010, dislocated his shoulder while snowboarding in Colorado last month.
The Englishman is hoping to return to playing at the WGC Championship at Doral, Miami in three weeks' time.
South Africa's George Coetzee replaces Casey and faces top seed Luke Donald, the defending champion, in round one.
Casey, runner-up to Australia's Geoff Ogilvy in 2009 and compatriot Ian Poulter the following year, will miss out on the chance of a top prize of £900,000 in Arizona.
The Surrey-based Cheltenham-born golfer had been told after his accident that he faced two months out of action, which could also dent his hopes of a Ryder Cup place.
A rib injury impaired his chances of qualifying automatically for the Europe squad in 2010, captain Colin Montgomerie deciding not to offer him a wildcard.
Donald, the world number one, will face Coetzee at Dove Mountain, unless any other players withdraw before Monday's official draw.
Rory McIlroy, who will replace Lee Westwood as world number two after this weekend, is currently set to face seven-times Volvo World Match Play champion Ernie Els in the first round.
The 2011 US Open winner also revealed that he has been working on reshaping his swing, concentrating on altering "a few fundamentals''.
"I still feel it's going to take a couple more weeks to fully click in and that if feels completely comfortable, but it's definitely on the right track,'' he said.
"Hopefully, there will be a day when it all clicks and it comes easy to me."
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