Phil Mickelson
Back in 1994, Mickelson suffered a fracture to his left femur in a skiing accident. The leg injury kept him away from tournament golf for more than three months.
“It’s not very intelligent in our sport because we don’t get guarantee money,” he said. “On the other hand, I’m 23 and don’t want to live my life being afraid of getting hurt.” The accident, which occurred when Mickelson crashed into a tree, resulted in a pin being inserted from his hip to above his knee.
Adam Scott
In 2008, the Australian dislocated his kneecap and suffered a tear in ligaments in his right knee when surfing, forcing him to miss the Australian Open and Australian PGA championships. Scott's injury came in December, which at least enabled him to undergo a full recovery over the winter.
Paul Casey
In 2012, the Englishman sustained a shoulder injury in a snowboarding accident. Casey missed five tournaments and had to undergo further treatment for a period of almost six months before he regained full fitness.
Thomas Levet
In one of the more bizarre injuries, Frenchman Thomas Levet suffered a broken leg when jumping into the lake by the 18th hole at the National Golf Club in Paris after winning the 2011 French Open. It had become something of a tradition for new winners to jump into the water.
“It didn’t hurt that much,” he recalled, “but when I went into the shower I saw my ankle had come out and thought ‘wow’.” An X-ray revealed a broken shin bone.
Miguel Ángel Jiménez
The cigar-chomping Spaniard missed four months of tournament play at the start of the 2013 season after sustaining a broken shinbone while skiing in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
“When I took up skiing, I knew the risks that I was taking,” he admitted. “But I love it so much I could not stop.”
