Good draw for Irish quartet

IRELAND’S Open Championship quartet of Pádraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Gary Murphy have every reason to be happy with their draw for the first two rounds of the Open.

First into action tomorrow goes Clarke at 7.36am along with the Japanese Shingo Katayama and one of America’s big hopes, Davis Love 111.

Clarke loves an early start and is also happy with 12.30pm on Friday.

Harrington leaves the first tee at 9.20am tomorrow and at 2.16pm on Friday in the company of Kenny Perry, the in-form American, who, at eighth, is a place ahead of the Irishman in the world rankings.

Murphy, who had his first look at the Royal St George’s links yesterday in a practice round with Clarke, has fared better than most.

He starts at 11.26am tomorrow and is first off on Friday at 6.30 am, the earliest tee time in Open history.

“That suits me down to the ground,” declared Murphy, who is still on something of a high having clinched his European Tour card for next year through his fourth place finish in the Scottish Open at the weekend.

“I played Baltray yesterday to get used again to the feeling of links golf and I’m really looking forward to this week.

“It’s my second Open, I got blown away by the wind at Troon in 1997.”

Murphy goes out with the Dutchman Rolf Muntz and English qualifier Simon Wakefield, while Paul McGinley (2.27pm tomorrow, 9.31am Friday) is partnered by the American Ryder Cup player Scott Verplank and Australian left-hander Nick O’Hern.

The plum draw, if it can be described as such, given the hysteria that surrounds Tiger Woods’s every move, has gone to the young Englishman Luke Donald who partners the world number one and Sergio Garcia, with starting times of 9.09am and 2.05pm.