Golf: Brandt Snedeker taking it gingerly

Brandt Snedeker during a practice round prior to the Tournament of Champions. Picture: Getty

The Tournament of Champions, which starts today, is the American golfer’s first event since a freak accident in Shanghai two months ago. Snedeker was on a Segway scooter during a corporate outing at Sheshan International Golf Club when he took a tumble and injured his left knee.

“I had been on one all day in this pro-am,” Snedeker said yesterday. “I was going down the last hole, seeing how fast I could get it going. I hit a sprinkler head, lost control a little bit and jumped off. I landed on my knee and my knee popped.”

He feared he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament. Just his luck, he only suffered a small tear, along with a cracked tibia and a deep bone bruise. It was enough to keep him out of the Australian PGA, World Challenge in California and the Franklin Templeton Shootout in Florida. Snedeker said the knee feels good now, although the real test starts now.

He spent last week playing at Hideaway in Palm Springs, California, walking 18 holes a day and carrying his own bag. The good news at Kapalua is that he has his caddie. Not so good is that the Plantation Course was built on the side of a mountain, featuring some of the steepest climbs he’ll face all year.

“I’ve had a few aches and pains of playing again, but nothing that concerns me,” Snedeker said. “The only thing I’m worried about is walking 18 holes here. Palm Springs is dead flat. Walking this golf course is a little different.” And the last time the six-time PGA Tour winner carried his own bag? “It’s funny, I got into this routine of doing it after injuries,” Snedeker said.

Not so funny is that dealing with injuries has become a routine. In his seven years on tour, Snedeker has had surgery on both hips to correct a degenerative problem. He missed the 2012 US Open because of a rib injury. After one of the hottest stretches of last year – second to Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines, second to Phil Mickelson in Phoenix and then a victory at Pebble Beach – Snedeker had recurring problems with his ribs and missed the next month.

Snedeker said his rookie season was his only injury-free year on tour.

“It’s very concerning,” he said. “I don’t consider myself that, but the evidence bears out that I am injury-prone. Over the course of your career, you’re going to have injuries. I’m hoping all mine are in a five-year stretch.”