Three-time golf major winner Padraig Harrington on Friday revealed that he has undergone treatment for skin cancer.
The 42-year-old Irishman lost his father, Patrick, to cancer and said that he wanted to raise awareness after undergoing surgery to remove 'sun spots'.
"I've had a number of skin cancers removed off my face," he told Irish radio station Today FM on Friday, in comments reported by several British media outlets.
"When you get a symptom, don't ignore it. Do something about it."
Harrington pulled out of the 2005 Open at St Andrews after his father died from oesophageal cancer. He subsequently became patron of the Oesophageal Cancer Fund Ireland.
"Dealing with cancer is not what it was 10 years ago," he added. "Everybody responds differently to treatment and ways of treating cancer are moving on.
"I see that when I travel the world. It is easier to clear these things up at the start rather than waiting until there is a problem. You can get treated and go on to live a much longer life."
