Golf: Shacklady ready to take strain for big day

May 20 2008 by Kelly Lewis, Liverpool Daily Post

DAVID SHACKLADY admits that his preparations will have been “sparse” when he limps into Wentworth and the BMW PGA Championship.

The irrepressible Ormskirk player has been struggling with an injury to his left knee since the turn of the year, which has forced him to drastically reduce his trips to the practice ground in fear of aggravating the problem.

”It has improved but it’s not right,” said Mossock Hall-attached Shacklady, 41, who is hoping this will be third time lucky after missing the cut on his two previous PGA Championships at the West Course.

“At least I can play although I don’t know how it will stand up over the week.

“On top of that there’s not been much to compete in recently so my game is rusty.

“But I will have spent some time working on my game with Simon Edwards in the few days leading up to the tournament.”

Edwards, who has also made three appearances in the event, has been coaching Shacklady for a few years and the pair have been working with a physio trying to make his game as painless as possible.

“I played at Pennant Park at the end of last April and it was heavy going under foot,” explained Shacklady.

“I was shattered when I came off the course.

“Walking downhill is the most difficult because of the extra pressure on the knee cap.

“The specialist has told me the injury stems from when I hurt my hip playing in a regional pro-am in Portugal.

“Some days I limp badly and that restricts my backswing. It’s thrown out my timing but on other days I feel okay. It’s all a bit of a lottery but maybe I’ll be all right at Wentworth, but I can safely say my preparations will have been sparse.”

Shacklady, who has clocked up more than 200 victories in a professional career spanning 20 years, earned his place in the tournament by winning the PGA North Region Order of Merit for the first time.

Amazingly, the Pro-Am king has never won a regional “major” but he’s one of the best known players in the area, whose name was once the subject of a quiz question on the TV show They Think It’s All Over. Last year he played in the Open Championship at Carnoustie following a course record nine-under-par 62 in final qualifying at Montrose.

And he’s hoping he’ll be fit to get through to Royal Birkdale in July, where he was the only regional qualifier in 1998.

Meanwhile, Shacklady will be in good company at Wentworth because he is staying with a friend down there whose other guest is Phil Archer, a past North Region champion from Birchwood.

“We’ll have a good catch-up on all the news,” he said.

MARK O’MEARA has confirmed he will return to the site of his Open victory when he plays at Royal Birkdale in The 2008 Open Championship.

The 1998 champion is now normally found plying his trade on the Champions Tour, but he will once again tee up alongside the best players in the world at the Southport links from July 17-20.

The 1998 Open was one of the most dramatic in recent memory, with O’Meara pipping little-known American golfer, Brian Watts in a play-off.