Harrington stays in the hunt

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON will start today's third round at the Buick Classic in New York, well in contention but deeply concerned about how to deal with a "broken down" swing so close to next week's US Open.

Harrington yesterday shot a second-consecutive three-under-par 68 at the Westchester Country Club north of New York City to move to within three shots of clubhouse leader Vijay Singh, who headed a classy field in late afternoon with some players still on the course.

The Irishman, world number eight, is one of 24 of the world's top 25 performing this weekend the absentee is number one-ranked Tiger Woods and he compiled another solid round of four birdies and one bogey despite saying he is scared to take the driver out of his bag.

"I'm very happy to be well in position," Harrington said. "But to be honest I really struggled with my swing. I worked the ball around the golf course well, certainly hit enough good shots to make birdies off my bad shots I got away with some of them and recovered from others.

"There were plenty of alarming shots, you could look at any shot I hit out there, like at 18 where I hit a 3-wood off the tee because I can't hit the driver straight. At 17 I hit a 3-wood off the tee, it pitched in the left edge of the fairway, kicked back in the fairway, hooked a wedge into about eight feet and holed the put. So to everybody looking on, it looks great but the guy hitting it knows it wasn't pretty. There were plenty of those like that I played conservatively enough of the tee, I think I only hit three drivers today."

Harrington first detected something was wrong when he turned up at the Buick Classic on Tuesday but did not panic as he hoped it would just go away. Now he says his swing has "broken down radically". Asked how he was dealing with that situation he replied: "Obviously if the US Open wasn't next week I would just work with what I've got, just put up with it and see what happens and hope it would go away. But with the US Open next week, I'm going to try and figure it out, talk to my coach (Bob Torrance) and sort it out somewhat.

"I'll bring my coach and have a chat with him and try and figure where it's going.

"So there is a problem but there is a little bit of conflict there. You know, I've got to be conscious that I am doing well in the tournament and not to overdo the he practice because I'm not playing well and I've shot six under par for two rounds. Sometimes it's not too bad to swing badly," he said.

With players still out on the course, including Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson, who raced to 11 under coming to the final hole, three shots ahead of Singh, Harrington's round was enough to move him onto the leaderboard in equal second midway through the day alongside Billy Mayfair and Scott Hend in the clubhouse.

But as the day wore on, that group was overtaken by Donald and Tom Byrum who carded a seven under second round in the afternoon.

Harrington's efforts were significant enough for the US press corps to request an audience with him in the tournament media centre at the Buick Classic.

A week ahead of the US Open over the seaside course at Shinnecock Hills at the eastern end of New York's Long Island, Harrington was asked to provide a European's definition of links golf and his response immediately charmed this New York crowd.

"I would define links golf with a story," he said to laughter from his audience. "At the British Open at Lytham, Duval's Open, I'm on the 16th hole, I'm well down the list and I'm not doing so well. So I stand up, I take the driver out, it's a blind tee shot and I ripped this shot over the hill; everything goes great, over the marker.

"There's not a sound from the spectators there, so over the hill I go. I look for my golf ball 120 yards short of the green in the right-hand trap of the fairway; I also look in the left-hand trap; so I covered 120 yards to the pin and 60 yards wide. So I've covered what could be an acre of ground and my ball is 15 feet from the hole in a bunker. So it's a case of hitting it and it's still a mystery until actually find your golf ball. That's links golf."

Darren Clarke will probably have been in less jovial mood following his second round of even par 71, which left him at one over for the tournament and two shots the wrong side of the projected cut line of one under.

Playing the back nine first, Clarke started the day at one over but bogeyed the 14th and 15th holes to turn for home at three over and birdies at five and six did not look good enough to take the Dungannon man into the weekend.