SOUTHPORT (Reuters) - British Open champion Padraig Harrington limited his practice to wedge play and putting at Royal Birkdale on Wednesday as his injured right wrist continued to trouble him.

The Irishman suffered the injury while training in the gym at the weekend to put his Open title defence in doubt but he was more optimistic on the eve of the third major of the year.

"I now have to work on masking the pain and supporting the wrist as opposed to curing the pain," Harrington told reporters after leaving the course for treatment from his physiotherapist Dale Richardson after playing only two shots.

"I don't think there is any danger of doing further damage to the wrist. If there was, I would stop playing."

Harrington, nursing his wrist, had played Birkdale's outward nine on Tuesday and planned to cover the entire back nine on Wednesday.

After driving into the rough, he kicked his ball back on to the fairway. When he played a six-iron approach to the green, though, he immediately took his right hand off the club and walked in off the course.

After having treatment, the 36-year-old Dubliner resumed practice but took with him only three wedges and a putter.

Harrington won his first major title by beating Spaniard Sergio Garcia in a playoff at Carnoustie last year

(Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes.)