Padraig feared worst

THREE-TIME Major winner Padraig Harrington has revealed how he feared for his career after being struck on the elbow by an amateur during a coaching session.

Harrington, who has played just seven events in 2017 after undergoing surgery on a trapped nerve in his neck in March, has withdrawn from this week’s FedEx St Jude Classic after the freak accident which left him needing six stitches.

The 45-year-old said: “I picked up an elbow injury at a golf outing in Washington DC.

“While 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.

“I applied ice to the elbow within seconds and also compressed it to minimise any inflammation.

“After an X-ray at the hospital I was delighted to learn that it wasn’t broken, but it still required six deep stitches.

“I have been advised to be cautious and it will need 10-12 days for the stitches to heal, so I have been forced to withdraw from this week’s FedEx St Jude Classic tournament in Memphis.”

Harrington had initially relayed news of the incident on Twitter and joked: “There’s no truth in the rumour that it was the amateur’s best strike of the day.”