The former European number one Ronan Rafferty begins his first tour event in almost two years today after fearing he might never play competitively again.

The 36-year-old from Warrenpoint, who won the British Boys' title at 15 and played in the Walker Cup just two years later, carried on that success into the professional ranks. He won the Order of Merit title in 1989 and played on the Ryder Cup team that retained the trophy at the Belfry the same year. But after 16 years on tour and with earnings of over £2 million, Rafferty was struck down with an injury to his left thumb that at times left him unable to hold a club.

A diagnosis continued to elude various doctors and specialists until February 1999 when, after Rafferty tried to play in Greg Norman's event in Sydney, an Australian doctor located the problem and recommended immediate surgery.

"I had two bones growing together which had to be filed and I also had a tendon removed," explained Rafferty ahead of the £620,000 Algarve Portguese Open.

"After three days with the sports science people in Australia they decided this was the way to go. They said you can either play with cortisone injections that will last for a few months, play with a painful wrist or you can have the heavy duty surgery and play until you're 50 and beyond. So we went with the surgery.

"When somebody says they're going to stick a knife into you and operate you are always fearful, especially as it all happened so quickly. Because of the procedure they have to do you're always at risk.

"When you're getting nowhere you certainly wonder about playing again, especially when I saw the specialist in June 1998 and he recommended that I didn't play the rest of the year.

"You think `Hang on', the tour goes to December and this is only June, mate. I'm supposed to be playing at Loch Lomond in three weeks and suddenly you start thinking. "I never really thought that was it, because I'm around golf all the time with television work and course architecture. But the most frustrating thing was not being able to play in between all that.

Rafferty said he was desperate for some reassurance that he would be able to swing a club again.

"I wanted somebody to say to me that you're going to be able to play golf twice a week with your mates and that's it, as long as I was able to play golf I would be happy. So right at this stage I'm happy that I'm able to go out and play a tournament.

"The one thing I'll never be able to do again is practice for hours and hours, hitting hundreds of balls, but in a way that could be good because there is an awful lot of practice that goes on for the sake of it.

"Hopefully I'll be doing quality work rather than quantity, with more chipping and putting than hitting balls on the range. In a couple of years I should be the best chipper and putter around!"

Rafferty eased himself back into tournament golf at the end of last year and was encouraged by his form in three low-key events in Morocco, Hong Kong and Mauritius.

Rafferty is one of the big names chasing the first prize of £103,000 alongside former Ryder Cup team-mate Ian Woosnam, Italian Costantino Rocca, Alfred Dunhill champion Anthony Wall and England's Peter Baker.

Woosnam remains determined to fight his way back into the European Ryder Cup team for next year, despite being offered the vice-captaincy by Sam Torrance, and is prepared to write off the next six months to get his game in shape.

"The next six months are about getting my game together for September when the qualification period for the Ryder Cup starts," said the 41-year-old Welshman.

"I've been working very hard on my swing with Pete Cowen for the last three weeks but it's difficult to play and practice so hard at the same time.

Rafferty's compatriots in the field this week are Des Smyth, Eamonn Darcy, Paul McGinley and Gary Murphy.