Gallacher and Harrington pull out of BMW PGA Championship

Stephen Gallacher and Padraig Harrington were among four players to withdraw on the opening day of the BMW Championship at Wentworth.

Gallacher, who was due to tee off at 8.25am with English duo Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood, withdrew before a shot had been hit after he suffered a wrist injury during Wednesday's pro-am.

Gallacher enjoyed an excellent week at the European Tour's flagship event last year when rounds of 68 and 66 over the weekend earned him a share of fifth, five shots behind champion Rory McIlroy.

Westwood and Fleetwood will now be joined by another Englishman, Robert Dinwiddie, for the first two rounds.

Wentworth regular Anthony Wall was another pre-tournament withdrawal due to a back injury, and he was replaced by teenager Renato Paratore in a group with Prom Meesawat and Soren Hansen.

Harrington became the third casualty, although he was not replaced having already started his round.

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The Irishman opted to tee up despite suffering a shoulder injury which forced him to miss Wednesday's pro-am, and he hit only a few balls on the range before heading for the first tee.

But he lasted only two holes, a bogey at the first and a par at the second, before deciding he could not continue - the first time in his career he has had to pull out of a professional tournament.

And while Francesco Molinari ended the opening day as outright leader on seven under, his brother Eduardo was eight over after 16 holes before calling it a day citing a wrist injury.