Golf: Harrington chances threatened by wrist injury

Padraig Harrington is seriously concerned that an injury originally suffered playing Gaelic football 12 years ago could damage his chances of winning the Murphy’s Irish Open this week.

No home player has won the event since John O’Leary way back in 1982, but with Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley respectively second, fourth and ninth in the current Ryder Cup table hopes have never been higher.

However, the last thing Harrington wanted was to have a recurrence of a left wrist problem on the eve of the £1million tournament at Fota Island near Cork.

The 29-year-old Dubliner, winner of the Irish amateur strokeplay title on the course in 1995, spent last weekend working with coach Bob Torrance, father of Ryder Cup captain Sam.

But on his return home the pain developed and having treatment on it served only to make it worse.

‘‘The physio might have done it good in the long-term, but it’s inflamed it and it might have been better left alone in the short term,’’ commented Harrington.

‘‘Hopefully it will ease off, but it’s never bothered me as much as it bothered me last evening.

‘‘I did it playing my last ever game of Gaelic football at school when I was 17. I was marking a very talented centre forward and in the first two seconds he turned me and I slipped over and fell on it.

‘‘I said at the PGA championship last month (he had neck trouble there) that I would never again play with an injury.

‘‘But because it’s the Irish Open I will probably go back on my word. I’d say there’s only a 5% chance of me pulling out.

‘‘I’ve never turned up at an event and not played and I’ve never failed to finish a round, so I am really putting it on the line.

‘‘The silly thing was having treatment on it on Monday. I tend to practise as much if not more than anybody else and the physios would say that three-quarters of us should not be beating balls the way we do because of the risk of injury.

‘‘I hit some bunker shots, then about 100 balls, then went back for more bunker shots. That’s when I felt it.

‘‘I still went and play six holes, but I hit four or five bad pull hooks off the tee because of it.’’