Harrington surprised by ‘easy’ course

IT’S all in the perception, really.

Tiger Woods shot 70 in the first round of the US Open at Olympia Fields yesterday while Ireland's Padraig Harrington got round the 7,190 yards, par 70 layout in one stroke less.

Oddly enough, of the two, it was two-times champion Woods who believed the course was of typical US Open difficulty. "If you get too aggressive on some of the pin locations and short sight yourself, you're making bogey," he insisted. "Consequently, I fired away from just about every flag."

Harrington, one of the pretenders to Tiger's throne, yet a 33 to 1 long odds prospect compared to the 5 to 2 of the holder, saw things in a different light.

"Of all the US Open courses I have seen, this was the easiest," he declared. "No wind, receptive greens, accessible pin positions. I'm looking at them and thinking, you can go for those pins which is not normal for the US Open."

On the face of it, you'd have to think Woods was happier with his score than Harrington. He insisted "par is good any time in this championship, especially when you see the pins. We noticed the dots for tomorrow and they're the same, so you've got to be smart. Over the 18 holes, I had two realistic looks at birdies at 16 and 17 and missed them both, but other than that I left myself with some pretty difficult putts because I was firing away from a lot of the flags."

Woods also agreed he was less than happy with his driving which was another reason for his unusually conservative approach. Nevertheless, he knows that 70 for starters leaves him ideally positioned.

Ernie Els, Tiger's playing partner and the world number two, was of similar mind as he shot a blemish- free 69 consisting of 17 pars and a birdie at the 14th.

That was understandable to Woods who said: "In a major championship, you have to be like that. You have to keep plugging away. You have to be as patient as possible."

Not very exciting, and it all serves to put in perspective Harrington's comment earlier in the week that "the champion this week will be the most boring player".

Apparently that remark has raised a few hackles here and there but you only have to study the situation to realise what he means. He felt it safe to be a tad more adventurous but kept thinking of the US Open's reputation for wreaking havoc on those who get too far ahead of themselves and more or less backed off.

Not so Harrington's playing partner Justin Leonard, who included two bogeys in an otherwise impeccable four under par 66 which gave him a share of the first round lead with fellow American Jay Don Blake. He was watched all the way by his wife Amanda, six-and-a-half months pregnant with the couple's first child, a development which the American at the heart of the 1999 Ryder Cup rumpus believes was central to yesterday's fine round.

"I am still hungry for success but golf doesn't drive me the way it once did," said the 1997 British Open champion who celebrates his birthday on Sunday which, of course, is Father's Day.

"Marriage has a lot to do with my change in attitude. We've our first child on the way and golf has become second, even third, in my list of priorities. Golf mightn't drive my life any longer, but when it's a major it's foremost in my thoughts while I'm on the course."

Blake, a 44 year-old from Utah, is unlikely to remain at the top of the leaderboard for very much longer, something many would also say about Colin Montgomerie.

Nevertheless, Monty silenced his critics by actually taking the lead at three under through 12 holes yesterday before eventually finishing on one under 69. He could hardly have come here with his morale any lower after two missed cuts in Europe and he claimed to be so tired afterwards that he declined a request to speak to the media.

Happily, this was not to be one of those Monty days and in the locker room he opened up quite readily.

"I've been working on the technical and mental side of the game with my sports psychologist Hugh Mantle," he revealed. "I'm not one of those people ashamed to ask for help. I needed something. After missing those two cuts I did doubt myself. That was very poor.

"But you have to put the past in the past and draw a line and move on. I am right in there. I have always said you can only lose it in the first round with a 77 but 69 is good. "I wish this was the kind of course we played every week because I know I don't have to go out and score eight birdies."

Darren Clarke began his round at the 10th and dropped a shot early on only to get it back with a two at the 17th, a rarity at this 247 yards par three. He was even par through 11 holes.