Rest. Rebuild. Play

On the eve of the 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, Padraig Harrington took to the course late in the afternoon to play a practice round. It was the first time the defending champion had played the layout all week, with speculation rife that the 36-year-old was suffering from a worrying wrist injury sustained hitting balls back at his home in Ireland. So when the news flooded through that he had chosen to walk the back nine – hitting only putts and chip shots around the green – his withdrawal seemed inevitable. “If this wasn’t The Open, I wouldn’t be here,” he told reporters. “Trust me, I would have already pulled out.”

Fast forward five days and Harrington is still at Birkdale and still cradling the Claret Jug after returning a final-round 69 to win by four shots from Ian Poulter. Facing questions from the media, he is asked about the injury that had threatened to derail his hopes of back-to-back Open wins – before a wide grin cuts across his face. “As the saying goes,” he laughs, “beware the injured