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SOUTHPORT, England: Padraig Harrington will defend his British Open
title at the risk of aggravating a wrist injury which would have
resulted in him withdrawing from any other tournament.
The Dubliner managed only 9 holes of practice at
Royal Birkdale on Tuesday and steered clear of any shots from the
rough that might have aggravated his injured right wrist.
“I know I will not get through 72 holes this
week without going in the rough and the biggest worry is if I do
something that will flare it up and give me a problem,” he
admitted.
“If it wasn’t the Open I would have pulled
out. I would have come for treatment and then decided I could not
risk it. But because it’s Open week I will definitely make the
effort.”
Harrington’s suffered the injury after
successfully defending his Irish Professional Golfers’ Association
(PGA) title on Saturday. After returning to his home, he hit balls
for two hours outdoors and then worked indoors striking an impact
ball, which may have been how he incurred the injury.
“I felt something and on Sunday I couldn’t
lift a club even to chip,” he said.
Harrington was encouraged however by the fact
that he felt no pain on Tuesday.
“I’m taking anti-inflammatories as it is and
I will probably protect the wrist in the tournament. But I didn’t
today because I wanted to see how it was.”
It was not all gloom however. “Know the best
thing about a wrist injury?” Harrington asked reporters. “It
makes you forget about having a neck injury.”
Harrington had earlier admitted that last
year’s triumph at Carnoustie had taken its toll.
“There was a period just before Christmas
where I overdid things,” he said.
“I did far too many interviews and tried far
too much and I really was fatigued. I did struggle.
“I got sick at the start of this year with
shingles again, a sign of stress and fatigue.
“But I wouldn’t give it up. That’s all
part of being the Open Champion, winning your first major.
“There’s no question it brings an extra
pressure, it brings expectation, distractions going onto the golf
course. You do try a little harder.”
Harrington’s win at Carnoustie could not have
happened under any more dramatic circumstances as he won in a 4-hole
play off against unlucky Sergio Garcia of Spain after slumping to a
nervy double-bogey six at the 72nd hole.
Since then though he had been without a win up
until last week when he repeated his plan of action of 12 months ago
by competing in the relatively low-tier Irish PGA Championships on a
links course in County Wicklow.
He comfortably won that.
-- AFP
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