Beware of Injured Golfers

Well, pardners, I don't guess no golfers is been shot down thar in Texas... but they sho is a lot of gimpy horses at that rodeo.

Okay, enough with the bad cowboy lingo. Let's get down to it -- there are a lot of injured players at the HP Byron Nelson. A LOT.



The tournament is being led by Peter Hanson, who has been undergoing decompression treatments for a bad back.

David Duval didn't even know if he could play because he's got pain in his right elbow. (Sounds like the tennis elbow-type pain that gave me trouble at the golf course last week, although David's is clearly much worse.) Since he's gotten so few sponsor invites he decided to try and play anyway. Now he's just one back of the lead. In fact, I understand that this is David's best position after the first round in 12 years.

Tim Herron is recovering from knee surgery. He's 3 off the lead. So is Louis Oosthuizen, who's still dealing with his chronic back pain.

Patrick Cantlay is finally back playing after nearly a year of back problems. He shot even par.

Briny Baird is also dealing with back problems that forced him out of THE PLAYERS after only 27 holes. He's 2-over.

And as it stands right now, everybody but Baird -- if you'll pardon the pun -- is in pretty good shape. (Baird is T89 after the first round; Cantlay, by comparison, is T45.)

Will any of these guys win? Who knows? But one thing is for sure... it makes you wonder if there isn't some truth in that old adage, "Beware of the wounded golfer."