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By John Reger PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
PACIFIC PALISADES, California (Ticker) -- It had been a long timesince Scott McCarron was on a golf course and an even longertime since he was on the first page of a leaderboard.
McCarron is just happy to be back on the greens. The42-year-old, who suffered a debilitating injury that threatenedhis career two years ago, is back playing and couldn''t havepicked a better golf course at which to play well.
He is five shots behind leader Phil Mickelson after two roundsof the $6.2 million Northern Trust Open at the Riviera CountryClub.
"Going to school here at UCLA right down the street, I playedhere quite a bit," McCarron said. "This is one of my favoritegolf courses on the PGA Tour. I just have such a great feelinghere."
McCarron tore a muscle that runs from his right elbow to hiswrist in 2006 and tried to play through the injury. In January,he was taking cortisone shots with hopes of playing through thepain, but by June, it was too much and he put away the clubs.
In August of that year, a doctor told him his muscle had tornfrom the bone and that surgery definitely was required.
"They had to re-attach a tendon back on to the bone," McCarronsaid. "So I couldn''t play any golf."
It was the first time since he turned professional in 1992 thathe wasn''t able to play golf, and it was a frightening prospect.
"After the surgery, there wasn''t much I could do," McCarronsaid. "I couldn''t play golf. So I was at home being dad,driving my kids to school, making them breakfast."
For 18 months, McCarron didn''t pick up a club and wasn''t lacedwith as much angst as he thought he would be.
"I would say after about three months being at home, my wifeturned to me and said, ''You''re really happy right now,'' and Isaid, ''This is probably the happiest I''ve ever been,''" McCarronsaid. "It was a nice feeling."
But not playing golf started to gnaw at McCarron.
"I love playing golf," McCarron said. "I miss the competition,and as soon as I could start hitting balls and playing again, Idid."
McCarron started hitting balls in the summer of 2007. He playedhis first competitive round when he teamed up with SteveElkington in the Merrill Lynch Shootout in December of lastyear.
The "Silly Season" event proved to be a good tune-up for the2008 season, but the injury certainly has been in the back ofhis mind.
"I''ve played in fear for the last five or six months, not sureif I could ever come back," McCarron said. "I would say it wasalmost a year to the date that I was able to start hittingballs, August of 2007, without too much pain." McCarrontied for 70th at his first event this year, the Bob HopeChrysler Classic, but then missed his next three cuts.
"One of the things about being injured, almost all of us playtoo long with injury and come back too early," McCarron said."So for me to really come back and play, I needed a few moreevents under my belt. But there was really nothing for me toplay in, so I had to play on the PGA Tour."
So it definitely is a surprise McCarron has rounds of 72 and 65and is tied for fourth after 36 holes here.
"I really have no business being in the hunt or near the lead,"McCarron said. "But I feel good coming in here."
It is a feeling McCarron hopes continues for the rest of theseason. He is playing with a major medical exemption and has 13events in which to earn $485,171.
"I expect to kind of get back," McCarron said. "I still feel mybest golf is ahead of me. I''m 42 years old and I''m still infairly decent shape. Just because you''re 42 doesn''t mean thatyou have to play bad."
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