Beware the injured golfer – Westwood

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July 13, 2010

Lee Westwood will play in The Open this week. but says he won’t be fully fit as he has not fully recovered from his leg in jury.

Lee Westwood will play in The Open this week. but says he won’t be fully fit as he has not fully recovered from his leg in jury.
A scan last week revealed the world number three – Europe’s highest-ranked player – has a ruptured plantaris muscle in his right calf.
“It’s not very important, but obviously if you rupture something then there’s swelling,” said Westwood, who limped his way through the French Open two weeks ago before being advised to rest.
“I’ve got swelling into my ankle. I had about seven days doing nothing and apparently it’s six to eight weeks recovery time if you put your feet up.
“But, obviously with the biggest tournament on the calendar this week, I can’t really afford to do that, so it’s just a case of managing it, strapping it up, trying to keep the swelling from getting any worse and playing as well as I can.
“It doesn’t hurt as much as it did in Paris, but it’s still obviously not quite right, and it’s not going to be.”
Third last year at Turnberry and runner-up in The Masters in April, Westwood has pulled out of the Irish Open in two weeks, but he is still planning to play next month’s double-header in America of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and USPGA Championship.
The Ryder Cup, meanwhile, is still 11 weeks away, so hopefully he will be back to full fitness by then.
Londoner Brian Davis flew in from America on Monday as first reserve for the championship, but Westwood, who played just six holes of practice this afternoon, is in no doubt he will tee off.
“I’ve been looking forward to this week for quite some time. It’s the Home of Golf and I think it’s even more special when the Open Championship is here – and obviously it’s one I’d like to win.
“The injury only affects the end of my swing. I try and go up on my toe and then twist – I’m using it then and it’s kind of stretching it out and feels uncomfortable.
“The very last part I’m just a little bit apprehensive, but hopefully as the week goes on I’ll get various types of strapping right.
“We can fine-tune it over the next couple of days and hopefully it won’t be too much of a problem. It’s not going to be perfect, but what can you do?
“It’s frustrating that it’s the Open Championship, but if I don’t play well this week I won’t put it down to the injury.
“Obviously it doesn’t help, but I’m hitting the ball well and feel like I’m very comfortable on these greens. I’m still hoping for a good week.
“I haven’t done a lot on it. I didn’t hit balls until Friday last week, and after 20-25 balls then nothing Saturday and 20-30 Sunday.
“I’ll play 18 tomorrow and then we’ll see on Wednesday. The forecast is not great, so I might just play a few holes and go out and wander around.
“Apparently I can’t do any more damage by playing. I’ve taken plenty of advice.
“It’s a very thin muscle that’s like a piece of string apparently and it runs down through the calf and God knows where after that – into the ankle I guess.
“I’ve had trouble with my Achilles for about eight months now and I was doing exercises to strengthen that, but it must have been this.
“The old saying is ‘beware the injured golfer’, so hopefully that will ring true.”