Padraig Harrington is well known within the golfing sphere for his win of three major championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008 along with the PGA Championship in 2008.
The Irish pro golfer was even awarded an impressive ranking of third in the Official World Golf Rankings back in July 2008—a highlight of his golfing career.
2017 seems to have been a rocky year for the golfer, after undergoing surgery to resolve a trapped nerve in his neck in March. Now, Harrington unfortunately has had to withdraw from the FedEx St Jude Classic tournament in Memphis after suffering an elbow injury.
After coaching an amateur on his swing, the Dubliner was caught on the elbow, an injury that needed six deep stitches.
It was rumored that Padraig Harrington feared the injury could end his golfing career. Harrington commented, ‘Whilst coaching an amateur golfer on how to cure his hook, I stepped in close to demonstrate the action for a fade, but as I was stepping away he continued to swing and caught me flush on the elbow
‘My initial thought was that the elbow was shattered and it was the end to my competitive playing career. I nearly fainted with the pain and shock,’ he added.
Luckily, the experienced player acted fast and applied an ice pack to the wound while compressing it to reduce inflammation. Later an X-ray showed that Harrington’s elbow wasn’t broken but still required some medical attention.
Not wanting to rush back into the game too soon, Harrington made the decision to rest his elbow. His neck injury lost him a place in the BMW PGA Championship this year along with next week’s U.S. Open. While the golf pro is disappointed, it seems that waiting ‘10-12 days for the stitches to heal’ is the best option for him at this stage.