Open 2009: Weekley to play 'until I can't play no more'

Published on Monday 13 July 2009 22:46

AMERICAN Ryder Cup player Boo Weekley has no intention of skipping this week's Open, despite struggling with a lingering shoulder injury.

"I'm not very well, but I'm not going to pull out," the 35-year-old said after playing his first practice round at Turnberry's Ailsa Course yesterday.

"I'm going to play. It's just that I'm not 100 per cent. I've got a torn labrum on my left shoulder, just from hitting shots and playing lots of golf. It's just wear and tear.

"I've had it probably eight or nine years and I've been getting cortisone shots two or three times a year," added Weekley, who prefers hunting and fishing to playing golf.

"I'm going to play until I just can't play no more. Unless they run out of cortisone, we're all right."

The affable southerner, who described his golf as "rubbish" after tying for 64th at the Scottish Open on Sunday, took a month off after his shoulder problem flared up at the PGA Tour's Players Championship in May.

"I didn't play no golf," Weekley said. "I think I went out and hit balls two times, and then that was it. And it showed with my next two professional tournaments."

Weekley's shoulder problem may not be the biggest challenge he has to face this week. The thick, and often knee-high, rough at Turnberry has grabbed the attention of every player in the field for the year's third major.

"If you miss the fairway, there's going to be a lot of lost balls here," said Weekley, a popular figure with the golfing media because of his entertaining, homespun views on life.

"There's no doubt about it. You've just got to keep the ball on the fairway. Keep it out of the bunkers and out of that rough. Turnberry is going to be a good test this week."

Weekley has been grouped with Australian Rod Pampling and England's Chris Wood for Thursday's opening round.

Meanwhile, India's Jeev Milkha Singh rates himself only 70 per cent fit as he played just nine holes of practice. But when asked about his chances of teeing-off in the championship Singh, recovering from a torn intercostal muscle in his side, replied: "100 per cent."

The 37-year-old, ranked 41st in the world, suffered the injury at the European Open seven weeks ago. "I woke up the next morning and thought, 'Oh my God – I'm having a tough time breathing'.

"I played the Wales Open and even though I managed to come sixth there it was so bad. I then took a week off and went to the US Open, but really I shouldn't have played."