Jamie McLeary: Fractured bone is a real pain

JUST as I was starting to think it was only a matter of time before I could turn one of my recent promising performances - at the halfway stage anyway - into a victory on the Challenge Tour, I've just been told that I can't pick up a club for five weeks.

I started to be troubled by a hand and wrist injury a few weeks ago in Paris, where I led after two rounds before finishing 15th, and it has got steadily worse.

It was so bad a fortnight ago in Madeira, in fact, that I was only able to hit five balls to warm up and could only play after taking painkillers and getting my hand and wrist iced all the time.

On the advice of the European Tour doctor, I was at Wentworth last week during the PGA Championship for a an MRI scan and it transpires that I have fractured a bone in my hand called the hook of hamate. Apparently, the damage has been caused by the top of my grips hitting the base of my hand and it's a common injury with tennis and baseball players.

Unfortunately, it means I'll miss the Scottish Hydro Challenge at Spey Valley, where I won two years ago and was looking forward to returning in a few weeks' time with the other members of Team Scottish Hydro. Twice in recent weeks I've been in a good position at the halfway stage - I was also third in Italy - but didn't have the best of weekends in that event either, finishing 36th. However, I am taking the positives from the fact I gave myself those chances.

It was the same last year, when I think I led in five tournaments over the course of the season and I expected to win a few of them based on the fact I had been able to get across the finishing line on this circuit in the past.

However, I feel my game is much better this year and it's just a case of putting myself back in those positions and hopefully I'll be able to use the next five weeks to figure out again how to get the job done.