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Harrington missed the cut at the Honda Classic last weekend. Ryan Kang
Waiting Game

Pain in the neck! Harrington anxiously waiting to discover if he needs surgery

The 45-year-old is currently on a family holiday.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON WILL wait until he returns from a family holiday before deciding whether a troublesome neck problem requires surgery or not.

The three-time Major winner has been troubled with a nerve issue in his neck since the end of last season, a problem which will more than likely require him to go under the knife at some stage.

Harrington featured at last week’s Honda Classic in Florida but missed his fourth cut in five starts in 2017 after rounds of 72 and 73.

In a post on his Facebook page, the Dubliner said: “The frustrating thing for me now is that I am not sure what awaits me. I am on holidays with my family this week and then when I get home I will get my neck looked at again and make the decision as to having an operation or not.

“Everything is up in the air for the next week or so. The really frustrating thing for me is that I hit the ball great on Friday and know that it is a case of working on my wedges and short game to improve my scoring, but for the moment I can’t do anything.

“It’s a waiting game for the moment and a case of keeping my fingers crossed that there will be an enough of an improvement to mean no operation is needed.”

Harrington, now ranked 153rd in the world after falling two places this week, would face a potential three-month layoff should he go ahead with the operation.

While he is hoping time will act as a healer and having a procedure would be a last resort, Harrington is also eager to be fully fit for the Irish Open and then the Open, both of which are in July this summer.

“I kind of have to make a decision in the next couple of weeks,” he said last week. “To give myself time to get ready for The Open, which is obviously the biggest thing on my schedule this year.”

The Open takes place between 16-23 July at Royal Birkdale, the scene of Harrington’s triumph in 2008.

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