Padraig Harrington defied a wrist injury to begin his defence of the Open Championship as planned on Thursday morning.
The Wilson professional''s participation at Royal Birkdale had been in doubt because of the condition, which severely restricted his preparation for the event.
However, Harrington teed off just before 08:00 BST and received a warm welcome from the gallery, despite despatching his drive down the first into the rough.
The Irishman went on to card a bogey five on the opening hole - a common score among the early starters, who had to battle rain and strong wind.
It remains to be seen whether Harrington will be able to complete the tournament, as he admitted on Tuesday that it is "50-50 whether I can go for four days".
Harrington suffered the injury during a practice session last weekend, having earlier looked in good shape for the Open when winning the Irish PGA Championship. |