Kenneth Ferrie went into a practice round at the Medinah Country Club in Chicago yesterday fearing he would have to pull out of his US PGA debut. But after he returned to the clubhouse, his agent, George Gros, announced the 27-year-old from Ashington will be fit to play his first competitive round today since pulling out of the Open during the second round a month ago. "Ken definitely plays," said Gros. "He has had constant treatment since the Open and the back is still a little bit sore. We will have to take it gently. "He's going to have a bit of massage but at the end of the day he got through 18 holes without undue alarm." Gros revealed Ferrie's injury had at first been thought to be spinal, which caused huge concern. "Thankfully, it was no more than a severe muscle pull," said Gros. "The trouble was in his lower back and was connected to his hamstrings, more a question of wear and tear than anything else." Ferrie said last night: "I woke up stiff and sore on Tuesday morning and it was the same today. First thing, there was still a chance I might not have been playing." He is due to tee off at 7.10am in the first round today, unhelpful as a later time would have enabled him to loosen up more. Added Ferrie: "After the Open I saw a chiropractor and physiotherapist and had a massage every couple of days. "I didn't hit any balls until the end of last week and have done everything I can, but it was not feeling very good this morning. "I thought I was back to square one. I've been told the best treatment is rest, but as a golfer it's not really the best time of year for that. "Huge as this week is I've got to be sensible about it, though." Ferrie's trip got off to the worst possible start when the British Airways flight he was originally booked on from Newcastle last Saturday was cancelled because of the terrorism threat. The following day he was told at Heathrow that his clubs could not be found. They are still missing. Said Ferrie: "They've told me they don't know where they are. As much as I feel like bitching and moaning about it I've heard that 10,000 bags have gone missing and I'm just one of them. A replacement set arrived on Tuesday from TaylorMade in California, but although they are basically the same they are not mine. "My driver had a shaft that's not been made for three years and my wedges were individually done." Ferrie is 16th in the Ryder Cup race with just two more weeks left before the team is decided. What makes this week extra important to him is that he has not qualified for next week's Bridgestone world championship in Ohio and, come the BMW International in Munich, he may have too much ground to make up. "It's so hard to make the team without having a really big week - and I haven't had that," added the man who was hoping for a return to the K Club 14 months after his European Open victory there. The US Open was a chance, but a closing 76 meant he won "only" £100,000 rather than the £650,000 of Australian victor Geoff Ogilvy. The week Ferrie might reflect on most if he does not earn a Ryder debut, however, is the dunhill links championship at St Andrews last October. He was five clear with 18 holes to play, but lost to Colin Montgomerie. It cost him £150,000. However this June Ferrie produced a superb debut in the US Open Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York State. Three gritty opening rounds saw him go into the final day tied for the lead with Phil Mickelson before he eventually finished in a share of sixth place, only three shots adrift of Ogilvy. "Going out there, nobody really gave me a chance of doing anything and I didn't really know what to expect of myself," he said. "So to finish tied sixth in only my fourth major and only my third tournament in America, the only way I saw it was a very good achievement and a very positive achievement. "To play the US Open on perhaps the hardest course ever does you no end of good and the next time I am in such a position, I will be able to draw on that situation. If you are capable of contending and leading the US Open then you are capable of contending in any tournament in the world. "Therefore I am looking forward to the US PGA immensely." Meanwhile Tiger Woods has said that, despite this being the longest course in major history, 7,561 yards, he still reckons his best way to get round is using his driver only five or six times because of the doglegs. At Hoylake, amazingly, he used it during his Open victory just once in the four days. Europe's Ryder Cup star, Luke Donald, does not have far to travel for this one, for not many Europeans get to play a US PGA championship while staying at home. But the 28-year-old Englishman has had a base in Chicago ever since he went to Northwestern University, where his degree was not in golf but in art theory and practice. "It feels a little bit more relaxing because I don't have to travel to get here. It's about a 40-minute drive," he said. How Ferrie would have loved that journey after all that has happened since he set out for Chicago! | 
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