The talk all week at the British Open has been about injuries but no one expected that still to be the main issue on the eve of the tournament.
Questions about Tiger Woods’ season-ending injury have been brought up by a bevy of players turning up at Royal Birkdale.
For the home fans, Englishman Luke Donald’s withdrawal last Friday was a blow but worse was to come when defending champion Padraig Harrington revealed on Tuesday he had injured a right wrist practising on Saturday.
No matter, this was the British Open and he would play regardless. Had it been a regular tour event he would not have entertained the idea.
Harrington played the front nine holes on Tuesday, although he opted not to play any balls which ventured into the rough, and returned the following day to tackle the back nine.
However, he abandoned two attempts to get round and then put his chances of teeing off in the first round as only “75 percent” and finishing 72 holes now only 50-50.
“Yesterday I was fully sure I would play and was just worried I would inflame it. Today I am not so fully sure I will play.” he said. “The plan is to go to the range (he is due off in the ninth group of the day at 7:58 a.m.) and see what it’s like.”
American Heath Slocum would replace Harrington if he becomes the first Open champion not to defend his title since Ben Hogan in 1954.
Hogan only played once in The Open, winning at Carnoustie (as Harrington did last year) and then not taking part at Birkdale 12 months later.
After thinking the wrist was making good progress, Harrington went to the 10th tee but felt pain on only his second shot.
He immediately went to have it looked at and returned with an ice pack but, on teeing off again, he felt it straight away.
There was no question in his mind what to do after that - just walk the course and limit himself to some chipping and putting. He did not even do that on every green.
“The decision will be mine,” added Harrington. “I cannot say anything at the moment other than I will be making a strenuous effort.
“I will be apprehensive about hitting any shot. I’ll certainly be apprehensive about hitting out of the rough.”
Harrington remains determined to give it a go but will bear in mind that, with the Ryder Cup only two months away, he cannot afford to risk long-term damage.
Should he not be able to make it then it will deprive the tournament of yet another major star, although the one the British public are rooting for seems to be in the rudest of health.
Last year’s runner-up Sergio Garcia is the bookmakers’ favorite after his near miss in a playoff with Harrington at Carnoustie.
The Spaniard’s par putt for victory at the 72nd hole grazed the edge of the cup and he went on to lose to his Ryder Cup teammate.
But rather than frustrate him, he wants to use that disappointment to push him one step further.
“My preparations have been going very well and I’m feeling good. I’m in good shape and I think I can win,” he said.
South African Ernie Els is now second favorite with Phil Mickelson third, although he is without a win this year and has a woeful record at the British.
Lefty spent three days practicing at Birkdale before last week’s Scottish Open and comes into this event saying all the right things.
The problem is it is the same every year. He tries to convince the assembled members of the press - and probably himself - that he can win a British Open but the outcome is nearly always the same.
For a player ranked second in the world his record in this major is woeful. In 15 attempts, he has played 54 rounds, has a scoring average of 72.41, is 70 strokes over par for the event and has finished in the top 10 just once (Troon 2004 when he came third).
His record at Royal Birkdale is even worse, finishing 73rd in 1991 as an amateur and 76th in 1998.
But despite the stats stacking up against him, Mickelson insists he has the game capable of winning on a links course.
“The fact that it’s different from what we play day in day out in the States makes it something that I relish,” said the 38-year-old. “Angles are important. In America on a lot of our courses it doesn’t matter. Here you have to plan for 20 to 50 yards of roll and so angles are critical, left side of the fairway, right side of the fairway and so forth.
“Last week, I was able to identify some of the areas [in my game] that needed improvement and right now all I care about is getting those areas of strength. With it blowing so strong the short game is going to be a critical element in this tournament.”
Talk of a devalued Open in the absence of Woods cut no ice with Mickelson, who declined to give his opinion on the injury-enforced absence of the world number one.
“I’ve practiced hard, developed a good game plan and am excited to compete against whoever is in the field,” he said when asked about Woods’s absence.”
