The travelling physiotherapy unit on the European Tour is a busy place at the best of times, with a full time-sheet in operation to alleviate the assorted aches and pains of the professional. Following yesterday's second round of the European Open, they probably had to operate through the night to cater for the traffic through the door.
Three players retired during the course of their respective rounds, South African Devonde Botes didn't even bother to get out of bed having shot a nine-over-par 81 the first day, and three more were disqualified.
It's funny how none of the afflicted, either mentally or physically, were in contention when they prematurely sought the refuge of the clubhouse.
New Zealander Michael Campbell, who leads the tournament on five under, enjoyed a bizarre day, losing both his playing partners. Sweden's Pierre Fulke intimated to Campbell and Philip Price that his back was bothering him. Fulke, 12 over par at the time, retired on the 17th green, his eighth hole.
The official reason for his departure was a wrist injury. Campbell would subsequently laugh: "I don't know. He said to me back problem. Wrist, back, same thing, it is all connected somehow."
The New Zealander lost Price on the 10th hole, the Welshman hampered by a sore neck. Suddenly the K Club seemed a lonely place. Campbell explained: "I thought, hell, I am playing on my own now. We called a referee, Trevor Herden, and Philip decided to walk with me up the 11th. It was quite strange to play a one-ball in a tournament.
"Trevor then asked Anders Hansen, Fred Funk and Robert Karlsson, the three-ball ahead of me, if one would join me, and Fred agreed." The three-ball ahead was now "de-Funked".
So what did Campbell say to the American. "I said thanks for joining me. I thought no one liked me on this tour," he laughed.
Elsewhere on the course Anthony Wall was being disqualified, a fate that befell Ronan Rafferty and Andrew Murray to boot. Rafferty's disqualification came for a breach of Rule 15-3. He played a wrong ball on the seventh hole and then teed off on the eighth hole before realising his mistake and was therefore disqualified.
Had he discovered the error while playing the seventh hole then he would only have been penalised two shots and invited to return and try to find his original ball.
Murray's infringement was not readily apparent, but given that he was 19 over par after 16 holes of the second round, it is respectfully suggested that he won't be too crestfallen by the error.
David Lynn, who played alongside Murray and Manuel Pinero (also 19 over par), is sponsored by Specsavers Opticians and was obviously a huge addition to that three-ball in tracking the golf balls of his errant partners. He could also possibly have brokered a deal on the course.
