McGinley makes Masters return

West Ham fan Paul McGinley is getting back to golf ahead of schedule and mainly because of an Arsenal supporter.

Ryder Cup match-winner McGinley hopes to return at the Marriott Forest of Arden next week for the Daily Telegraph Damovo British Masters following surgery on a serious knee problem a month ago.

The operation to correct a torn cartilage, ligament damage and chipping of the bone was conducted by knee surgeon Andy Unwin in Windsor just hours after an MRI scan revealed the injury.

He became acutely aware of the problem in Portugal.

“Mr Unwin, who is the knee surgeon to the Arsenal footballers and attends all their games, told me that there was so much damage it would have collapsed completely within a month if I hadn’t had the operation," he said.

“It might be a bit of a risk coming back so quickly, but Mr Unwin has been pleased and impressed at my progress and doesn’t think there will be any problem.

“I was squatting in Dubai and came down badly on my knee, but didn’t think it was anything more than a muscle problem.

“I played three more tournaments and the knee swelled up after each one so there was obviously something wrong, but I had no idea it was as bad as it was.”