Harrington Happy With Recovery

Padraig Harrington claims his wrist is still not 100 per cent but he is still feeling positive about returning at the Maybank Championship.

The 47-year-old Irishman, who was forced to delay the start of his 2019 campaign because of the injury, has been happy with the progress so far and feels ready to make a return to competitive action.

Harrington revealed the full recovery could still take “about nine months” before it returns to normal, but he is looking forward to featuring at the Saujana Golf and Country Club this week, where he has had a runner-up finish in the Malaysian Open in the past.

The European 2020 Ryder Cup captain said: “It’s interesting to come out here. I hit shots on the range here, I hit shots last week and the wrist is holding up, there’s no doubt about it.

“There’s a certain amount of mobility issues and I need to work on the strength of it, but in general it’s right on track. If anything, it’s probably ahead of expectations.”

On the Maybank Championship return, he added: “Traditionally the Malaysian Open was my first event of the season, if you go back 20 years. It’s my first event this year and I’m looking forward to that good karma, let’s say.

“It’s a very good set up this year. The changes to the greens have substantially changed the way the course will play. The greens are firm. It looks like the changes are excellent, a really, really good challenge.”