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Harrington confident of speedy return

Padraig Harrington will undergo knee surgery on Tuesday © Getty Images

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Padraig Harrington has confirmed that he expects to be back hitting balls 10 days after undergoing surgery on Tuesday to remove floating cartilage from his right knee.

The three-time major champion was in contention throughout the PGA Championship at Wentworth but failed to sink the birdie putts needed to get close enough to the lead to apply pressure. Despite that, the Irishman managed to achieve his best finish at the European Tour's flagship event in a tie for sixth and he is now looking forward to getting his knee problems sorted before competing at the US Open on June 17.

"I expect to be in the gym the next day after the operation," Harrington said. "I won't put any torsion pressure on it for 10 days so I won't swing at anything till then. I will hit some chips and putts inside three or four days but anything I do in the gym will operate on the one plain and will involve no twisting.

"I think I am actually going to have a holiday while it heals. I've never ever had one in June. After that I hope to be back and ready to compete at Pebble Beach."

Harrington insists that the surgery is only "minor" but needed to be carried out at this point of the season in order to avoid any possibility of arthritis developing around the affected area of his right knee.

"It's keyhole surgery," Harrington added. "They will go in there and have a look around and take out the floating bits. My knee is at this moment superb in terms of what I could do with it. I could do a 100 metre sprint for you right now.

"The floating cartilage that is in there at the minute is a problem and if it is left there then it rubs off the bone and that is what arthritis is. There is a little spot at the moment that is getting bigger and bigger and the doctor just wants to take that out.

"The doctor recommends that if I wait six or seven months then the wear on the bone could start. Once it starts then that causes arthritis. I honestly do not see an issue for the tournament play in the future.

"Thankfully it is my right knee. The left one is the one that takes the most torsion so this one will not get the work out that could make things worse."

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