Triple major winning Padraig Harrington has ruled out playing in next week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic but the DP World Tour have confirmed he will tee-up in the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in a fortnight.
This comes after the 52-year-old revealed he battled the Festive Season fighting a double dose of major medical concerns that included a bout of pneumonia and a collapsed lung.
His illness forced Harrington out of this week’s inaugural Dubai Invitational and now he’s ruled himself out of teeing-up at the Emirates Club.
The Dubliner last competed alongside his youngest son, Ciaran early last month in the PNC Championship in Florida but it was a bed-ridden Christmas.
“I played through the father-and-son with pleurisy as it was at that stage,” he said speaking to The Mirror.
“I thought it was a bad flu, the doctor then diagnosed it as pneumonia and we treated it as pneumonia.
“What a game I play. I am 52 years of age and I am excited to go and play golf. It is crazy, I probably started playing competitively at 14 years of age and 40 years later I am still excited to go out and play which is a nice place to be.”
While the Tour posted news Harrington would be in the Middle East for the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, Harrington does not sound that confident over his chances of competing.
“I still have a bit of a collapsed lung, fluid in the lung, scarring and whatever goes with those things,” Harrington said to the Mirror.
“I am starting to feel fine. I pulled out this week [Dubai Invitational] because of that, and my intention is to go to Dubai [Desert Classic and Rak [Ras Al Khaimah Championship], more because of the sunshine which will be good for my final part of recovery.”
“I am excited about my golf. I haven’t been out hitting shots, barring some wedges in my garden and shots indoors. In some ways it isn’t a bad thing, I have had a bit of a break away from the game which is nice, I feel excited and keen to get out there and play.”
Leave a comment