Padraig Harrington looked more like a battered boxer than a major champion as he prepared to return to action in the Buick Invitational in San Diego today.

The Dubliner turned up a Torrey Pines with sticking plasters above and below his right eye after undergoing surgery to remove two non-malignant sun spots two weeks ago.

Padraig Harrington has had two new sun spots removed.Harrington went under the knife to have a sun spot removed in April 2007. But his wife Caroline assured his fans that the new sun spots are not a cause for concern.

She revealed: “He had more of the sun spots removed two weeks ago - one above the eyebrow and one below. They tried to treat it with a cream when he had the other one removed but it didn’t work so they removed them the week before last.

“He went to Bon Secours Hospital in Glasnevin to have them done and then went back on Friday to the Blackrock Clinic to have the stitches removed, hence the plasters.

“They are non-malignant melanomas, just like skin spots. It’s just better to have them off.”

Harrington ended up with a two-inch scar when he was first treated for sun spots in April 2007.

At the time he revealed: “I had about a square inch of skin taken out with some roots and all that sort of stuff

"I'm told it's like the third form of skin cancer. It was not a melanoma. I'd keep catching it with my hat and if I rubbed it off with a sweater it would bleed and seep a bit. It was just something that needed to be dealt with."

The Dubliner will make his seasonal debut on the PGA Tour at Torrey Pines' North Course alongside world number 11 Camilo Villegas of Colombia and American Marc Turnesa.