McGinley checks in for urgent op

Ireland’s Paul McGinley today pulled out of the Nissan Irish Open and went straight to hospital for a knee operation.

McGinley was forced to retire after 13 holes of the opening round at Carton House and was six over par when play was suspended due to high winds.

The 39-year-old Dubliner said: “I have been having problems in my knee for some time now and the discomfort has increased to the extent that it was affecting my ability to play shots.”

The operation, under general anaesthetic, was to remove a piece of broken bone floating in McGinley’s left knee and arrived as a further blow to his chances of qualifying for this September’s Ryder Cup at the K Club.

McGinley looked certain to make a third consecutive appearance in the contest after winning the Volvo Masters at the end of last season, but has suffered an untimely slump in form.

He still occupies the seventh automatic qualifying place but admitted yesterday that a run of four consecutive missed cuts was giving him cause for concern.

“Of course I’m nervy, very,” he said, prior to today’s withdrawal.

“I have a lot of respect for the players behind me in the ranking tables and I’m looking over my shoulder, to be quite honest.

“I’ve got to play better, there’s no two ways about it. The job’s not done. I’ve always said I had to play well this year to do it.”