Mark Wright says two rib stress fractures have interrupted his golf content and put one of his biggest personal targets in doubt.
In an Instagram update shared on his Wrighty Golf account, the former The Only Way Is Essex star said the pain began after an earlier stress fracture on the right side of his ribcage. About five weeks before recording the video, he felt “a pop, or a tear” in his back but initially assumed it was a muscle problem.
An ultrasound later suggested another fracture. Wright’s caption clarified that he had suffered “two stress fractures” in two different ribs, one at the front and one at the back. That distinction matters because reports saying he fractured his back imply a spinal injury, which Wright did not announce.
Wright said he had continued playing golf in pain and was waiting for a CT scan when he filmed the update. He raised 12 weeks as a possible recovery period if the fracture proved deep, not as a confirmed timetable.
Wright Says He Kept Returning Too Soon
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Wright explained the timeline in the Aug. 10 Instagram Reel, saying the issue dated back to February and that the more recent pain had continued for about five weeks.
“It’s been a devastating year,” he said, according to The Sun. “That’s what you get, I suppose, for training, doing too much, trying to get down too quick.”
In the caption, Wright wrote that he had fractured two ribs, “one on the front and one on the back,” and admitted that he had rushed his returns. “I keep coming back too early,” he wrote.
Although Wright described the year as difficult, his caption was not a firm announcement that he would miss three months. He said he hoped to be back in a couple of weeks, while also acknowledging in the video that a deep fracture could mean “12 weeks.”
His ‘4.0 Before 40’ Golf Goal Is Now in Doubt
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The layoff is especially frustrating because golf has become one of Wright’s major personal projects. In January, he announced in another Instagram Reel that he wanted to lower his handicap from 10 to 4.0 before turning 40.
In the new update, Wright conceded that the target now looks unlikely before his January birthday. His comment about “trying to get down too quick” appears to refer to reducing that handicap, not losing weight.
More than a scorecard is involved for Wright. He wrote that golf makes him happy and gives him an important release, making the forced time away from the course difficult as well as inconvenient.
Wright Said the Injury Has Affected His Golf Content
Wright created the Wrighty Golf account to document his progress and share the challenge with followers. The injury has now disrupted the same project he had been building around regular practice and improvement.
He said he had been trying to play through the pain before getting further checks. The ultrasound result suggested the second rib injury, while the CT scan was expected to show how deep the fracture was.
The update also corrected one misunderstanding around the injury. Wright described pain in his back, but the injury he announced was to his ribs.
The CT Scan Was Expected to Decide the Recovery Plan
Wright said the next step was a CT scan to understand the extent of the fracture. He did not share the result in the video.
If the fracture was deep, he said the recovery period could be around 12 weeks. If not, he appeared hopeful that he could return sooner, though he also admitted that rushing back had already contributed to the problem.