Palm Beach Gardens FL …

Rory McIlroy confirmed he will return to competition at next week’s WGC – Mexico Championship while their remains uncertainty when and if fellow Irishman Padraig Harrington will undergo surgery on his troublesome shoulder.

McIlroy will have been side-lined some six-weeks when he tees up on March 2nd in Mexico City after suffering a stress fracture of a rib and attributed to his intense off-season practice program working with new clubs.

However, the injury was not diagnosed till after McIlroy lost out in a play-off to England’s Graeme Storm at last month’s thrilling South African Open play-off showdown.

The four-time Major winning McIlroy champ has been back on the practice range and working hard on his game at the exclusive Bears Club close to his Palm Beach Gardens residence in Florida.

Rory McIlroy competing in the 2017 South African Open where he lost out in a play-off and later being diagnosed as suffering with a stress fracture of one of his ribs.

He’s ruled out contesting this week’s PGA Tour Honda Classic, just a short drive from the Bears Club, and instead his manager confirming it is all systems go to return to competition in the Mexican capital and the $US 9.75m WGC event.

“Yes, Rory intends returning for the WGC in Mexico and looking forward to getting back to competition”, said his manager.

And it was clear McIlroy’s game is getting back to normal after being approached by U President Donald Trump to play 18 holes on Sunday at Trump’s exclusive course and also not far from this week’s PGA Tour host venue.

In contrast, Harrington has now revealed he will return home to Dublin after this week’s Honda Classic, and an event he won at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida in 2015 to end a seven-year victory drought on the PGA Tour.

Nothing wrong with Padraig Harrington’s eyesight as he admires the grip and swing of four-time Academy Award winning Katherine Hepburn.

Harrington had teed-up last week in the Genesis Open in suburban L.A. revealing he had received four different opinions ahead of the event won by Dustin Johnson, and including the strong option of surgery before having a cortisone injection into his troublesome shoulder.

But now after ending a run of three missed cuts in his three opening events in 2017 PGA Tour to finish T39th with a closing round 72 at Riviera, Harrington says he will tee-up this week in Florida and then return home for a further assessment of his injury.

“It’s hard to feel pleased or otherwise at the moment as I am playing injured”, he said.

“It is frustrating and if it doesn’t clear up next week then it will be surgery.

“I am going to give it this week’s Honda Classic and see how it goes, and while it’s going to be nice to be going back to PGA National where I won two years ago, I will just go there and see what happens.

“Whatever happens at the Honda I will then go home to get another opinion”.

Of course, Harrington’s huge fear is that surgery will result in him being side-lined for some 12 weeks and that would mean the pain of being side-lined for a number of big PGA Tour events such as the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Shell Houston Open, Valero Texas Open, New Orleans, Wells Fargo and the Memorial.

And it’s not lost on the proud Irishman that this year marks the nine-year anniversary of Harrington’s double Open Championship success at Royal Birkdale and Harrington is desperate to be fit to compete again at the Southport course.

However, before leaving the Riviera clubhouse Harrington was full of praise for new World No. 1 Dustin Johnson.

“Now that he’s World No. 1 I can see Dustin remaining atop of the rankings for a while to come as he’s been in form for so long now”, said Harrington.

“One thing is certain is that he’s definitely put himself into big favouritism for the Masters coming up in a few weeks, and that’s for sure.”.