Open Championship 2016: Stephen Gallacher to miss Royal Troon

Scottish golfer Stephen Gallacher will miss next month's Open Championship at Royal Troon after the recurrence of an injury to his left wrist.

Gallacher, 41, has not played since missing the cut at the Nordea Masters in Sweden earlier this month.

He was out for six weeks and missed a number of tournaments following surgery on the injured wrist in March.

"It looks like I'm going to probably be out for a couple of months," Gallacher told BBC Scotland.

"I've been playing in pain for the last year and a bit."

Gallacher, who will also miss July's Scottish Open at Castle Stuart, is targeting a return to the European Tour in August but will not rush back if the wrist is not fully healed.

However, he is confident of an improvement in his form when he does eventually return and insists the changes he needs to make to ensure his wrist is not damaged further will make him a better player.

"I need to change to carry on," added Gallacher, who has three European Tour wins to his name. "That's why I'm taking my time to come back. I need to get it right.

"Once I get to the bottom of it and sort it out, it can prolong my career for another 10, 15 years. I've got to change my swing.

"I think it'll make me more consistent. I'm quietly confident that when I get it right, I'll come back a better golfer.

"I've played in every Scottish Open since 2000 so it's a sad one to be missing."