Open star vows to battle through the pain but title bid looks doomed

Padraig Harrington today admitted he is resigned to playing in pain when he begins the defence of his Open title in less than 24 hours.

The Dubliner's wrist injury flared up during practice here this morning, sparking fears he may have to pull out of the Championship, which starts tomorrow.

Harrington insisted he is still planning to tee it up for the first round but, as he completed his final 18 holes of practice, he said: "I now have to work on masking the pain and supporting the wrist as opposed to curing the pain. I don't think there is any danger of doing further damage to the wrist. If there was, I would stop playing."

Harrington's future in The Open had looked bleak this morning when he walked off the course after hitting only two shots on his opening hole, the 10th.

After driving into the rough, he kicked his ball back on to the fairway. However, when he played a six-iron approach to the green he immediately took his right hand off the club and returned to the clubhouse for treatment.

After his physiotherapist Dale Richardson applied ice to the wrist injury, Harrington returned to the course but took only three wedges and his putter with him and concentrated on his short game. The 36-year-old admitted yesterday he feared his injury could be worsened by playing shots out of the rough.

Peter Dawson, chief executive of the R & A, said: "A defending champion is part of the fabric of the Open. We obviously want him to play."