At this stage you would figure Richie Coughlan deserved a break - of the right kind - for a change. Instead, the 27-yearold from Birr has more injury worries to contemplate which have forced him to withdraw from the Houston Open, starting today, and extends his inactivity on the US Tour to a full month.

Coughlan's current woes stem from a freak incident in a Californian hotel last month. "I was pulling my big duffel bag out of the elevator and fell hard," he explained.

Initially, it was thought that the injury was muscular, a repeat of the old injury he sustained in his rookie year on tour in 1998, and that a week or two of rest and some physiotherapy would rectify it.

Although the original X-rays and MRI scans uncovered no breaks, Coughlan's medical advisers felt it wise to conduct further tests when the injury persisted - and, a bit like Murphy's Law, it was discovered that he had actually sustained two hairline fractures of his ribs.

"It was the fourth and fifth ribs," he said. It wasn't the news he wanted to hear, obviously.

Having enjoyed a decent enough start to the season, in which he made two of his first three cuts, Coughlan's year since then has been marred by the injury. Currently placed 182nd on the moneylist, with $24,757, he has been forced to withdraw from three tournaments (most recently the BellSouth in Atlanta the week before the Masters and now this week's event in Houston) and, consequently, his schedule has had to change.

Already, he has accepted that his intentions to return home to play in the Murphy's Irish Open and possibly the Smurfit European Open have had to be abandoned in favour of chasing dollars - and the chance to retain his card for next season - on the US Tour.

"I need to get to get back on the course. I'm totally frustrated at this stage because I looked on this season as my second chance and the way I had prepared I was looking for big things," said Coughlan. "I haven't been able to practise for the past month and I probably need some divine help."

Even though he has been given a month's medical exemption due to the injury, which will at least enable him to play four weeks on next year's circuit, Coughlan is anxious to return to action as soon as he gets the medical go-ahead.

Since his enforced break, he has watched himself slide down the Q-school re-ranking from a starting point of 15th down to 36th, and further drops would make it ever more difficult to get into tournaments.

"I haven't had any pain for the past two or three days, so, even though I am short on practice, I'll head down to Greensboro on Sunday and hopefully I'll be fit to return in next week's tournament there. I really want to get stuck back into playing competitive golf," he said, adding: "All it takes is one smashing week!"