Pádraig Harrington admitted he is still feeling the effects of his recent battle with pneumonia and a collapsed lung after he missed the cut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on Friday.
Despite his health issues, Harrington was adamant on teeing it up in Dubai this week and dug deep to salvage an opening 73 at Emirates Golf Club before a second round of 79 saw him miss the cut by a distance on eight-over-par.
The three-time major winner has been unable to hit the gym since falling ill before December’s PNC Championship in Orlando and conceded that although he feels fine in general, fatigue soon hit him when he started practicing ahead of his season-opener on the DP World Tour, which is understandable considering he took an impromptu break from golf to recover over the winter.
“I thought I was pretty good coming out here but I’ve been very flat since I started doing a bit of work,” Harrington reflected.
“It seems to have hit me so yeah, it’s been a little bit of a struggle even though I feel fine outside the golf course but in terms of playing I don’t have much pep in my step.
“I’m surprised, I really did think I was over it. I travelled and I felt good and wanted to come out into the sunshine but I hit a wall after a couple of days practice and it’s been tough. I feel fine but I don’t have any sharpness or speed so you’re doing a bit of practice but at the same time you’re beating your head off a wall, just not there.”
The Dubliner is scheduled to compete in next week’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
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