Defending champion David Howell is facing a race against time to be fit for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The Englishman won his first European Tour title for seven years in the pro-am played across Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and St Andrews before finishing on the latter’s Old Course on Sunday.
But a neck complaint is threatening to hamper the former Ryder Cup star’s efforts to retain his title.
“I didn't hit a ball for eight days and came into this week feeling dreadful, back loosened up quite nicely when I played Monday, but woke up this morning and my neck is in pieces so I wouldn't be teeing off if it was today,” said Howell.
“Fingers crossed feeling better tomorrow but feeling a bit cheesed off to say the least.
“I've had treatment. I'll go for treatment again and I've got a nice stash of drugs, as well, so we're trying everything to feel all right in the morning. Body is a strange thing, sometimes it goes into spasm and then eases off overnight and this came on overnight. It doesn't bode overly well, we’ll have to wait and see.”
On his lengthy wait to land a fifth European Tour title coming to an end 12 months ago, the 39 year old added: “It was tremendous after seven years, no finer place to win as a professional golfer, so that was a dream come true. It was the most fitting place I could think to end a seven year drought.
“I was really looking forward to coming back. I've been in better form the last few months; the whole year things didn't probably carry on as I thought they might. Such is the way with golf but second half of the year has been much, much better, culminating with the second place in Italy.
“I was really looking forward to getting back to links golf, all the good feelings that I had last year, try and tap into those and of course, still hoping that's going to be the case. It's going to be one step at a time this week, no doubt about that, try to nudge our way through tomorrow if possible and see how things go.”
