Wetterich confident he can retain card despite layoff

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When he was healthy, Brett Wetterich was one of the few players on TOUR to average over more than 300 yards off the tee.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Brett Wetterich knows all about making a quick recovery.

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Four years ago, he became the only player in the modern era to go from q-school to qualifying for the U.S. Ryder Cup team, thanks in large part to his victory in the 2006 EDS Byron Nelson Championship.

But his latest recovery has been anything but quick.

Wetterich hasn't played in a PGA TOUR event since he shot a 75 on June 1, 2008 to finish T69 at the Memorial Tournament. He has been sidelined for 21 months with an injured left shoulder, then a right wrist injury, followed by a sprained right knee last December.

"I know too much about medicine now," Wetterich said.

He will get a chance to find out the condition of his golf game starting Thursday, when he plays in the first round of The Honda Classic at PGA National. Despite being sidelined for almost two seasons, the 36-year-old said he never worried his career might be over.

"I always knew I was going to come back," he said. "I just didn't know how good my golf game would be when I did."

Wetterich was one of the game's longest hitters before the injuries. He ranked fourth on the TOUR in driving distance in 2006 (307.8 yards) and seventh in 2007 (303.3).

Despite the multiple ailments, the 6-foot, 205-pounder says he hasn't lost any of his power. Nor has he made any changes to his swing.

"I still go at it as hard as I always do," Wetterich said. "Still hit my clubs the same yardages. If my swing is at all different, it's just because I haven't played in almost two years."

Wetterich, who has earned $6.1 million during his TOUR career, said he at first welcomed the break from the game. But as the weeks turned into months, he found himself becoming more frustrated by the inactivity.

"What I missed the most was being out with the guys and the competitive stuff," Wetterich said. "I got tired of watching my buddies playing golf while I was sitting on a couch."

Wetterich has still been busy since August, when his wife, Erin, gave birth to their first child, Mia. But he's ready to get back to his day job.

Wetterich is playing this year on a major medical exemption. He has 17 tournaments to earn $731,077 to keep his exempt status. He says he's aware of the numbers, but doesn't dwell on the task ahead of him.

"Seventeen is a lot of tournaments, especially with the money out here," said Wetterich, who in 2007 earned $800,000 for finishing second to Tiger Woods in the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. "I'm not too worried. I've done it before."

Starting at Honda seems like a good idea. Not only is PGA National about 15 minutes from his Jupiter home, but he's had plennty of success in this event.

Wetterich has three top-10s in six starts at The Honda Classic, finishing T8 in 2002, T6 in 2005 and T8 in 2007. He's also played The Champion Course many times while playing on mini-tours in South Florida.

But he says he has no expectations.

"I'm not going in thinking if I miss the cut this week or don't have a top-25 finish, the week has been a failure," he said. "I'm hitting the ball well, but I know it's going to take some time to build my stamina back up. I'm just happy to be playing again."