Triple Ryder Cup winner Paul Ginley may have avoided going under the knife but he still faces an uncertain 2012.
McGinley ended his worst-ever season citing a knee injury and withdrawing after an 81 on day one of the Iskandar Johor Open to return home for what would be an eighth operation on his knees.
However after visiting London specialist Dr. Andrew Unwin on Friday, McGinley has been informed he will avoid surgery by instead undergoing regenerative treatment.
Paul McGinley heads home after one round in Johor but now faces an uncertain 2012. (Photo - Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
“I’ve had six operations already on my left knee but this next operation was going to be the second one on my right knee,” he said.
”The operation was supposed to clean out some more debris in and around the knee cap.
“But then it’s been great to be informed by Dr. Unwin I won’t have to undergo the surgery.
“An operation would have kept me out of competition till the end of January but if all goes well I could be back sooner playing than later.”
However whenever McGinley returns it will be an uncertain year for the Irishman who turns 45 in a month.
McGinley, who holed the winning putt at the 2002 Ryder Cup, has been exempt on the European Tour since the end of 2007 under the ‘career money’ category whereby the leading top-40 money earners are exempt.
However he will drop out of that category as at 31st December and it will mean McGinley seeking invitations to compete on the Tour next year.
McGinley arrived in Johor lying in 147th place on the Race to Dubai and when the money list is adjusted on Sunday night it will be his poorest season since joining the Tour full time in 1997.
He was 123rd last year on the money list for a then poorest year but 2011 will now be his most disappointing with earnings of Euro 141,384.
It will lift McGinley’s careers earnings to a still very handsome Euro 10,766,445.
McGinley contested 23 events this year with a best of sixth in the KLM Open at Hilversum.
He also missed the halfway cut in a dozen events and along with withdrawing from this week’s Iskandar Johor Open, McGinley withdrew also from the Andalucian Masters after being afforded an invitation to compete on the course where he captured a last Tour event, the 2005 season-ending Volvo Masters.
McGinley’s big highlight this season was leading the GB & I to a successful defence of the Vivendi Seve Trophy team in France.
And given how much Ryder Cup captain, Jose Maria Olazabal admired McGinley’s leadership qualities the Irishman can at least look forward in the early New Year in being asked to be one of the Spaniard’s Medinah vice-captains.
One would then expect that should lead to McGinley being named early the year after as Olazabal’s replacement as the 2014 European Ryder Cup captain.
