PAIN IN THE NECK FRASER LEADER IN AUSSIE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
FROM THE PGA OF AUSTRALIA WEBSITE
By Steve Orme at Coolum, Sportal
Marcus Fraser Halfway leader Marcus Fraser has revealed he genuinely feared he'd never play golf again after undergoing emergency neck surgery in January.
Fraser continued his strong recent form with a sizzling seven-under 65 to lead a star-studded field at the Australian PGA Championship by two shots after 36 holes.
But it's been anything but smooth sailing for the 33-year-old in 2011, as a debilitating neck injury threatened to cut short his successful career 10 months ago.
The veteran of nine seasons on the European PGA Tour admits he couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel after losing all use in his right arm and struggling to walk due to the excruciating pain.
"It was pretty serious, I had a disc prolapsed in my neck and at one point I'd lost pretty much all the use of my right arm towards the end of last year and it was quite painful," Fraser, who suffered the injury lifting up his son Archie at the 2010 Australian Open, recalled.
"I was on a lot of medication to try and get the pain down but had to go to hospital and I was lucky enough I saw the surgeon at the hospital and he took one look at me and said 'we've got to do this pretty quick or else it's really going to deteriorate'."
"So they got rid of the old disc and put a new synthetic one in, put a carbon fibre cage in around that and a metal plate, so it was pretty full on but the next day I was pain free in hospital and five weeks later I played Doral in America."
"If I hadn't had the operation there's no way I would have played again, so it was a pretty easy decision to make. The old neck's pretty important for golf I'm sure."
"I had a couple of days where I really struggled to walk and I was on a lot of medication for the pain but I just had to get in there (and have surgery) ... and now it feels really good and hopefully it keeps improving."
Meanwhile, the two-time winner on the European Tour admits a victory this week would be 'massive' in the context of his career.
Fraser knows he'll have to be at his best to hold off the chasing pack that is led by American Bubba Watson who carded a second-round 68 to be two shots back.
World No.24 KT Kim is one shot further adrift at eight-under par, while YE Yang, Adam Scott, John Senden and Robert Allenby are all lurking four shots back.
While he's well aware of the calibre of his pursuers, Fraser says his experiences in Europe will help him handle the occasion.
"Hopefully I can control the nerves, I think I do a pretty good job of it most of the time," he said.
"Obviously you want to be there and you are putting yourself under the pump and this is why we play the game for to try and win golf tournaments."
So far I have got myself in a good position, and hopefully I’ve got myself in a good position over the weekend as well to try and do it."
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By Steve Orme at Coolum, Sportal
Marcus Fraser Halfway leader Marcus Fraser has revealed he genuinely feared he'd never play golf again after undergoing emergency neck surgery in January.
Fraser continued his strong recent form with a sizzling seven-under 65 to lead a star-studded field at the Australian PGA Championship by two shots after 36 holes.
But it's been anything but smooth sailing for the 33-year-old in 2011, as a debilitating neck injury threatened to cut short his successful career 10 months ago.
The veteran of nine seasons on the European PGA Tour admits he couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel after losing all use in his right arm and struggling to walk due to the excruciating pain.
"It was pretty serious, I had a disc prolapsed in my neck and at one point I'd lost pretty much all the use of my right arm towards the end of last year and it was quite painful," Fraser, who suffered the injury lifting up his son Archie at the 2010 Australian Open, recalled.
"I was on a lot of medication to try and get the pain down but had to go to hospital and I was lucky enough I saw the surgeon at the hospital and he took one look at me and said 'we've got to do this pretty quick or else it's really going to deteriorate'."
"So they got rid of the old disc and put a new synthetic one in, put a carbon fibre cage in around that and a metal plate, so it was pretty full on but the next day I was pain free in hospital and five weeks later I played Doral in America."
"If I hadn't had the operation there's no way I would have played again, so it was a pretty easy decision to make. The old neck's pretty important for golf I'm sure."
"I had a couple of days where I really struggled to walk and I was on a lot of medication for the pain but I just had to get in there (and have surgery) ... and now it feels really good and hopefully it keeps improving."
Meanwhile, the two-time winner on the European Tour admits a victory this week would be 'massive' in the context of his career.
Fraser knows he'll have to be at his best to hold off the chasing pack that is led by American Bubba Watson who carded a second-round 68 to be two shots back.
World No.24 KT Kim is one shot further adrift at eight-under par, while YE Yang, Adam Scott, John Senden and Robert Allenby are all lurking four shots back.
While he's well aware of the calibre of his pursuers, Fraser says his experiences in Europe will help him handle the occasion.
"Hopefully I can control the nerves, I think I do a pretty good job of it most of the time," he said.
"Obviously you want to be there and you are putting yourself under the pump and this is why we play the game for to try and win golf tournaments."
So far I have got myself in a good position, and hopefully I’ve got myself in a good position over the weekend as well to try and do it."
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Labels: PRO GOLF
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Friday, November 25, 2011
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