Harrington backs ‘Smythy’
Woosnam is expected to confirm Smyth as his second in command at a press conference this afternoon which will also be attended by his American counterpart Tom Lehman.
“I’m so far out of the loop that I wouldn’t have a clue, I don’t know any of the gossip,” Harrington insisted.
However, he said: “I think Des would a great choice. I would be fully behind him. He’s the ideal candidate. It’s unfortunate he couldn’t have become Ryder Cup captain himself. I’m sure that’s the politics of the thing. He would have made a great captain and will make a great vice-captain.
“He’s a real gentleman. He will always say the right thing. In the Ryder Cup, you’ve got to be very trusting of the guys you put out there in the front. With the way things have gone in the past, you’ve got to have a diplomat and Des would be tremendous.
“He’s a good spirited guy, he’ll keep the team spirits up. He’s played in the Ryder Cup himself and I’m sure he knows how to give somebody a kick up the backside and how to put an arm around another person to get the best out of him. He’s certainly somebody all the players would look up to as a true gentleman of the game.
“He has the gift of the gab, and would do all the necessary things at the team meetings to keep the spirits up. In all, the ideal candidate. I hope he gets it. That’s my plug for Smythy.”
Reflecting on his magnificent victory in the Barclays Westchester Classic in New York at the weekend, Harrington admitted: “It has been a strange year because I’ve only twice been in contention and won each time. The conversion rate this year is pretty high, which is pleasing, but on the other hand I would like to be playing well more consistently.
“It is nice to take the opportunities when they come along. I got the breaks at the end of those two tournaments and as I’ve always said, as long as I stay patient, I will win some and some will be conceded to me.”
Quickly pointing out that Darren Clarke has already won the European Open, in contrast to the blank in the Irish Open records since 1982, Harrington compared the significance of the Smurfit event with the Nissan.
“This is near my home and very special in Ireland,” he said.
“The European Open is a bigger tournament in the professionals’ minds and it is one I would like to win, but it is still not the Irish Open. They’ll still be telling me next year that it’s 1982 since John O’Leary won it. This week ain’t going to make a difference to that story. But it would be great to win in front of my own crowd in what will be a very special week.”
Harrington again goes into a tournament deeply concerned by thoughts of his father, Paddy, who remains seriously ill in St James’s Hospital.
Combining that sad situation with the inevitable effects of jet lag and coming down off such a memorable triumph, it is unreasonable to expect any great heroics from Padraig on this occasion - not that he himself sees things in such a light.
“There is a problem without a doubt and the preparation, trying to get ready, is going to be the toughest part,” he admitted.
“But when I tee up on Thursday in front of the home crowd, it will be enough to get me going.
“Between getting home, seeing my dad and everything else, it is not as easy to want to get out there and do the work I should be doing.
“A few years ago here at the K Club, I could have taken advantage of Michael Campbell’s mishaps at the end but didn’t, whereas I took advantage of Jim Furyk’s bogeys at Westchester, so maybe I gained with experience or it was just meant to be.
“I think Michael will be the man to beat this week. When he gets in form, he tends to play well for three to six months at a time.
“But hopefully he has celebrated a lot after his US Open win and is tired. Knowing him as I do and the way he performs, when he gets in the zone, he stays in it. I played a few holes in practice with him at Pinehurst and he showed me that he was confident.
“The only problem he might have is the drop-off after the US Open. But there is obviously the momentum side of things, too.
“Come to think of it, the same applies to me. There are two sides to the story. There is a momentum and confidence side to winning. There is confidence to be taken from the way I won both. I harp on about being patient and waiting for things to turn around and it is good when they do.
“I will be in a better position if I get into contention and the fact that I have had success in doing that will lead me to follow my own strategies and to be myself, rather than thinking things are always going to go against me.”
