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Injured Dane in doubt 
for Dubai payday

HONG KONG - Danish golfer Thomas Bjorn is in serious doubt for next week’s season-ending Dubai World Championship after injuring his wrist in a bizarre incident during the opening round of the Hong Kong Open.

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Bjorn, who captured the Estoril Open de Portugal earlier this year, was on the third hole on the Hong Kong Club course when he lost a ball in rough after playing his second shot. Bjorn then returned to the spot where he had hit ball to take the proper penalty drop.

The victorious European Ryder Cup vice-captain’s ball had come to rest on top of a tree root, however, and in playing his third shot, Bjorn jarred his left wrist badly.

The 39-year old played out the hole, taking a quadruple bogey 9, but then sought medical attention and emerged a short time later with his left hand and wrist heavily bandaged. “It’s one of those things that happens in golf as I wasn’t to know in taking the penalty drop that there would be a tree root so close to the surface,” he told Reuters. “I am going to have daily treatment on my wrist so hopefully it will be fit for next week.

“I didn’t compete in the first Dubai World Championship last year, so it would be disappointing to have to withdraw.” Bjorn is currently 55^th on the Race to Dubai money list. The leading 60 players at the end of this week’s Hong Kong Open will qualify for the $7.5m Dubai World Championship and a crack at a $1.1m first prize.