Holmes to undergo brain surgery

J.B. Holmes has revealed he will miss the rest of the 2011 season after opting to undergo brain surgery.

The American has been suffering from vertigo-like symptoms since the Players Championship in May and has decided to pull-out of the FedEx Cup play-offs.

He has been diagnosed with Chiari malformations which affects the part of the brain that controls balance.

After four top-10 finishes in the first 10 events of the season his form started to suffer. He also withdrew from the USPGA Championship after the first round citing illness.

Holmes says, "I was really looking forward to the play-offs this year and improving on my 31st place finish from 2010.

"But with a three-month recovery before I can get back to form, we decided that the sooner I can get this procedure done, the better."

He added, "It's just such a relief to know that there's a name for what I've been going through these past few months and that I have a good chance of getting back to golf and my regular life.

"This is a relatively low-risk surgery and only takes about an hour and a half. Best of all, there's a very high success rate in fixing the condition."