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.

Harrington, who last week finished in a tie for 40th place in the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, plays with Jesper Parnevik and Glen Day in today's opening round.

He said: "Like any tournament, when you're here you're playing this tournament and exclusively focusing on it. But you have one eye on getting things ready for the next week so you're making sure you have the clubs and stuff ready, so when you get there Monday you're ready to go."

Harrington, who arrived in the small town of Rye just north of New York City on Tuesday, began well in the Memorial, shooting a 71, but was undone by consecutive rounds of 74, before finishing with a 70.

"Last week was okay," he said.

"I couldn't say I played any worse than I played at the TPC where I finished second, but I couldn't say I played any better. I finished with 70 in the last round which was okay, so I feel good. I'm happy and in good form. I'm never where I want to be but I'm getting there."

Clarke geared up for today's opening round and a grouping with John Maginnes and Chris Di Marco with just one practice round on the course where he finished tied for 24th in his last appearance in 1998.

That was yesterday's pro-am where he opened with an eagle three at the par-five 565-yard fifth, all the more remarkable because it was the first time he had struck a ball in anger for more than a week.

It also means a slightly different approach to this Buick Classic than his compatriot. "Because I had last week off, I didn't touch the clubs at all, I need to come and do some work and hit some balls," Clarke said.

"I'm trying to play well this week and at the same time looking forward to next week. So it's a case of go and play and see what happens."

For both men, next week's US Open will be their first trip to Shinnecock Hills.

"I've never played Shinnecock," Clarke said.

"By all accounts it's fantastic and I'm really looking forward to it."

Harrington too, has never been to Shinnecock, but joked: "I've seen a picture."

Despite long rough on the fairways at Westchester similar to the US Open set-up, the Dubliner said this week's event was not ideal acclimatisation for Shinnecock.

"This course is actually not the best set-up for next week, definitely not," he said.

"There's a lot of rough around the greens which you're not going to have next week. It's tougher when there's no rough. I'll take a 20-foot chip out of the rough any day."

One player who disagrees about the suitability of the Westchester set-up for US Open preparation is Masters champion Phil Mickelson, who told a press conference earlier in the day: "Westchester Country Club is a wonderful place for us to get ready for a US Open because it is very similar to what a US Open test is with the thick rough, tight fairways, undulating greens, small greens, fall-aways.

"It's very similar to Shinnecock, the difference is that there'll be no wind."