Neck injury hinders Harrington's bid

TWENTY minutes before his tee time at Baltray yesterday, Pádraig Harrington's neck "went" and he spent the next quarter of an hour being treated by his personal physiotherapist Dale Richardson.

During a nicely compiled round of two under par 70, Harrington felt inhibited on the longer clubs and couldn't swing through the ball as much as he would have liked. Having again talked about the ongoing difficulty in this key area for a golfer at the completion of 18 holes, there then followed an exchange between Pádraig and your correspondent that went something like this.

Q. What is the problem with your neck, the medical diagnosis?