Fractured ankle solved a life-long problem for Ralph

Glenn Ralph, the second highest-ranked player in the Mauritius Commercial Bank Open, will have mixed emotions about his return trip to the idyllic Indian Ocean island. On his previous visit, in December 2007, Ralph suffered a fractured ankle in a freak accident when getting into a swimming pool. That led to him spending the whole of 2008 on the sidelines, recovering from the injury.

But, amazingly, when he returned to the Senior Tour this year, Ralph began to play some of the best golf of his career. He registered his maiden European win in the Scottish Senior Open at Fairmount St Andrews, and ended the season fourth in the Order of Merit.

“Quite bizarrely, it would appear that the broken ankle contributed to me becoming a better player,” Ralph reflected. “When I was on the main Tour, I spent years and years trying to sort out my swing and a problem with transferring my weight.

“Peter Mitchell pointed out that I needed to get more weight on my right foot but I had great trouble doing it consistently.

“But when I rejoined the Tour after that year off, I found that, because my injured foot couldn’t bear my weight, I had to adjust my swing and this forced me to transfer my weight properly.

“It was quite incredible after all this time and it feels unbelievably different but it has made so much difference.”

And the results are there for all to see.

It has to be said that Ralph was hardly a bad player before the accident, which broke his tibia and fibula. He enjoyed two decades competing against the likes of Lyle, Langer, Faldo and Ballesteros in their prime and won enough money most seasons to ensure that he retained his Tour place. He had a good number of top 10 finishes and came close on several occasions but without quite getting his head in front at the finishing line. Despite the security of his job as club professional at Camberley Heath in Surrey, England, where his wife, Michele, is the shop manager, Ralph still relishes tournament golf. He agrees that the pressure is still there but says that maybe he handles it a little differently than in his younger days. Certainly, his confidence is high after his performances last season.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect after my year out and a lot of credit for my recovery must go to the people in Mauritius.

“I was fortunate to be looked after really well, by the staff at the hotel and at the hospital and by the specialist who treated me, who was himself a golfer.

“When I got back to England, I was told that my ankle was fine and that the specialist had done a good job.

” Ralph continues: “The plate came out in September and I was looking forward to getting in some practice but then it snowed and I couldn’t get out, so by the time this year’s Tour started, I had had no practice for 14 months.

“I went to Brunei in February for the opening event of the year but I wasn’t sure whether or not I should play. “Fortunately, we had buggies, so I decided to give it a go and I finished sixth.

“I then played in Barbados, again with buggies, and I haven’t looked back since.

” Ralph explained that he has to have his leg stretched every day that he’s playing.

“It’s not that my leg is painful but it gets really stiff. So the physio pulls on it to stretch it until there’s a crack and off I go.

” Ralph is thrilled to be going back to Mauritius: “I’ve been playing in the Open there for five or six years. I love it there and the course suits me. “It will be a bit different this year but you can’t help but enjoy everything about it. “It’s the best place in the world,” he says. “I have never been anywhere better. ”It’s paradise.”

Neil webber