Irish Open minded in Buick

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON and Darren Clarke will tee off in the Buick Classic here today attempting to walk a delicate line just seven days before the US Open.

On the one hand, both Irishmen must focus on the immediate task in hand: playing their best at Westchester Country Club and trying to win a prestigious event on the PGA Tour.

Yet they must also grapple with an even more important challenge lying in wait over the links of Shinnecock Hills, the 2004 US Open venue on Long Island.