Harrington in relaxed mood

Thursday, March 29, 2012

By Bernie McGuire, Houston

In his previous visits to Houston, Pádraig Harrington looked as if was auditioning for a role at NASA’s nearby high-tech space facility.

Spectators witnessing the Dublin man’s work on the range were amazed by the computerised gizmos which seemed as important to his preparations as his various drivers and equipment.

However, Harrington is a changed man in Texas this week. The state of the art wizardry is gone while long time caddy, Rohan Flood, has hardly visited the Wilson Staff equipment truck on his boss’s orders.

The three time Major champion looks content as he counts down to the Masters, no doubt helped by some flashes of brilliance at the Transitions Championship including a career-equalling best of 61.

Harrington admitted: “I’m happy I had a good run at the Transitions. I would like to have a good week this week in Houston and be in contention, so that if I get into contention at Augusta it’s not something new. It is easier to win an event if you have been in contention in the weeks leading up to the win. And just as Tiger Woods showed last week at Bay Hill it helps having won going forward even if it is a preparing for a Major.”

The only change in Harrington’s pre-Masters build-up is a promotion to help raise funds for Gerard Byrne, a cousin of wife Caroline, left paralysed from the waist down following a car accident. For three weeks, the Shell Houston Open, the Masters and RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, Harrington will carry three sponsorship logos on his cap and attire. They will be Identity, the biometrics company owned by Dermot Desmond, the logo of Boston-based Clune Construction and a patch on his collar for Blarney.com in the goal of raising over €200,000 for Byrne.

Harrington said: “A lot of people are helping Gerard out so I came up this idea and it’s been well received. Hopefully we can get the best value out of the initiative.”

Harrington will play the opening two rounds of the US event in the company of American Bill Lunde and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, teeing-up at 1.10pm local time (7.10pm Irish). Darren Clarke is out 10 minutes earlier from the 10th tee with the American pair of Chris Kirk and Charley Hoffman. Graeme McDowell, runner-up in last weeks’ Arnold Palmer Invitational, is out at 7.50am (1.50pm Irish time) alongside World No. 3 Lee Westwood and PGA Champion, Keegan Bradley.