After Jamie Donaldson revealed he will miss the early weeks of the 2016 season after damaging his finger in a chainsaw accident, we decided to revisit a number of other bizarre ailments to have struck the great and good of the golfing world over the years.
On Monday, the Welsh Ryder Cup star tweeted a picture of his damaged finger.
So folks in my time off decided to have a fight with a chainsaw and lost! Oops!! C u in Dubai🙄 pic.twitter.com/uyVFfnsULL
— Jamie Donaldson (@DonaldsonJamie) January 18, 2016
According to Donaldson's manager, John Fay of Georgia Golf Company, the three-time European Tour winner was tending to the garden at his Cheshire home when the accident occurred.
The good news, however, is that Donaldson is in good hands and already well on the road to recovery as the 40 year old targets a European Tour return at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in two weeks’ time.
"Jamie sustained the injury while gardening at home,” said Fay. “He's been to see the north-west's leading orthopaedic hand surgeon, who confirmed that Jamie has not damaged any tendons.
"The finger is moving and the surgeon expects him to make a full recovery and the stitches are coming out on Wednesday.
"Obviously, Jamie is not very happy but he also knows that these things can happen in life. He realises he is very lucky and is hoping to be back golfing as soon as possible."
Donaldson’s chainsaw incident elicited memories of the accident that befell Greg Norman in 2014, when the Australian golfing legend had a narrow recovery after a gardening accident of his own.
But these aren’t the only peculiar injuries to have struck some of the world’s finest golfers in recent memory.
Of course, just last yearRory McIlroymissed a significant portion of his campaign – including the defence of his Open Championship crown – after rupturing ankle ligaments playing football with his friends.
George Coetzee also had a lengthy spell on the sidelines last year following a surfing accident that bore comparison to the knee problems suffered by former Masters Champion Adam Scott when running back on to the beach following a surf session of his own a few years ago.
Former Ryder Cup skipperSam Torrance, meanwhile, was forced to retire from the 1993 Ryder Cup having fractured his sternum crashing into a plant-pot while sleep-walking.
You may think sleep-walking injuries are rare. You would be wrong.Graeme McDowellalso injured himself whilst asleep when he caught his hand in a door during the night back in 2012. That injury forced Gmac to miss the WGC-HSBC Champions.
It seems snow sports can often be the downfall of golfers too. BothMiguel Ángel Jiménez andPaul Casey succumbed to the slopes with injuries that kept them out for an extended period of time. Miguel broke his leg skiing whilst Casey disclocated his shoulder snowboarding.
And it's not just extreme sports you have to be wary of when it comes to the snow - just askOliver Wilson, who broke his wrist and missed six weeks of action in 2013 after "avoiding a deadly snowball."
Did it avoiding a deadly snowball, slipped in the snow. If I'd known i'd get injured at home might as well have gone skiing!
— Oliver Wilson (@Oliver_Wilson) January 23, 2013
From the snow to the sea andErnie Els'2005 injury. "The Big Easy" was being towed on a rubber ring by a speedboat when he ruptured knee ligaments. Ernie has also missed time due to a sprained ankle suffered playing tennis.
Tennis was also the foe ofDarren Clarke. The Northern Irishman pulled his hamstring playing tennis with his son, forcing the 14-time European Tour winner to miss the 2012 Masters.
Retief Goosensuffered a serious slice of bad luck when he was struck by lightning, aged just 15, while playing in his native South Africa, but was fortunate to escape without major injury. "The Goose" still retains a physical momento from the extraordinary incident in the form of a scar on his wrist from the watch he was wearing that fateful day.
Thomas Levet had plenty of good breaks en route to capturing the 2011 Open de France, however his luck quickly changed after the winning putt. The Frenchman lept into the lake off the 18th green at Le Golf National only to break his ankle in the shallow water.
And finally, on the week of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, it seems fitting that we finish with a camel injury. Yes, Denmark'sThorbjørn Olesenmissed two months of play during the 2014 season after falling off a camel.
So there you have it. Moral of this story: if you are a professional golfer, stay away from chainsaws, footballs, surf boards, tennis racquets, snow, camels and lightning and you'll be just fine!
