Wachovia Championship: Ryder Cup star Luke Donald's first appearance since the Masters ended prematurely today when he withdrew from the Wachovia Championship complaining of a bad back.

Donald, battling to survive the halfway cut, had had his second round interrupted by a rain delay on Friday.

When he resumed he stood two over par - just good enough to make it into the final 36 holes - with four to play when he decided not to continue.

Currently fifth in the race for places in the Ryder Cup side, the 28-year-old is due to play in the Byron Nelson Championship in Texas this coming week.

Mansfield's Greg Owen, meanwhile, bogeyed the last hole of his second round to miss the cut by one. Lee Westwood and Graeme McDowell had already failed to make it through on Friday.

Justin Rose followed up his opening 70 with a disappointing 74 and at level par had dropped from eighth to 34th, but two birdies in the first three of his third round then raised his spirits again.

American Bo Van Pelt, chasing his first US Tour success, remained three clear after the completion of the second round.

The 30-year-old had equalled the course record with his 64 and began the third round 10 under par, with Jim Furyk seven under and Davis Love six under.

That situation changed instantly when Van Pelt set off again. He bogeyed the first while Love birdied it to join Furyk in second place - and defending champion Vijay Singh was only two behind after he grabbed birdie there as well.

Most interest on the resumption of the second round had focused on whether Masters champion Phil Mickelson could close a seven-stroke deficit over the closing stretch at Quail Hollow.

Instead, however, Mickelson bogeyed three of the last six holes and by adding a 72 to his opening 71 was nine adrift of Van Pelt.