Former LIV Golf Pro Hoping For 2024 Return After Long Injury Layoff

Former LIV Golf player Justin Harding has given an update on his injury progress after a fractured hip forced him out of action for part of 2022 and much of 2023.

The South African was one of the circuit’s original intake of players and played in the opening three tournaments of the 2022 season.

His career on the start-up was short-lived, though, and he was one of several players to make way for new signings, including Cameron Smith and Harold Varner III, at the end of August last year, and since then he has competed on the DP World Tour and Asian Tour.

However, the injury meant that his last action of 2022 came in the BMW PGA Championship, where he finished T23, while his return in 2023 was cut short after nine starts with April’s International Series Vietnam.

Now, the 37-year-old has provided an update on the extent of the injury, which he revealed had worsened this year. He wrote on Instagram: “Full circle and some… yesterday marked 1 year since I was told I’d fractured my hip and couldn’t play for the remainder of the ‘22 season.

“After an attempt at returning in the early part of the year I was told I’d now had multiple fractures of the same hip and advised to stop once again."

Harding then confirmed that there would be no return before the New Year. He continued: “It’s been 6 months now without competitive golf. ‘23 season will be lost I can only hope to get back in time for next season.

“Still not swinging but trying everything I can to be as ready as ever when the imagery says I’m healed. Will still be a long road back to pro competition but I’m looking forward to the challenge and being back out competing with the best where I belong.”

After playing in the first LIV Golf tournament of 2022 at London’s Centurion Club, where he finished T10, Harding opened up on the “awkward situation” of legal action taken by the DP World Tour on its members who played in the tournament.

Despite that, he also played in the following LIV Golf Portland tournament, where he finished T8 and LIV Golf Bedminster, where he finished T19. Just four more starts followed for him in 2022, with two on the Asian Tour’s International Series and two on the DP World Tour, including his final appearance of the year at Wentworth.

Harding returned to action for January’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, where he missed the cut, but a little over three months later, his year was cut short after another missed cut in Vietnam.