Over-confidence proves costly for Harrington
The world number eight has an enviable record in this part of the world, including victory late last year at the Hong Kong Open, and felt his fifth-place finish in Macau last week had been ideal preparation.
“I do like coming to Asia and I have been reasonably successful here in the past,” Harrington had said.
But what transpired was a round which lacked consistency and he dropped from a promising position on three under par after 12 holes to finish with a level par round of 72.
“I was happy with how I played but there were just a couple of mistakes in the last few holes,” Harrington said after finishing six shots behind overnight leader Simon Dyson.
“There are some tough holes but there is not much more to it, maybe some over-confidence but besides that I’m pretty happy with the way I played.” Harrington’s mood was helped little by a farcical situation on the last when it appeared no one was watching the leading drawcard complete his opening round at the biggest golfing event ever staged in mainland China.
Having driven into the trees, Harrington punched his second shot into the water that guarded the green.
But with sponsors BMW insisting on invitation only entry to the event, there was hardly a gallery to speak of and none of the sprinkled onlookers caught which water hazard the ball splashed into.
“I saw it going down the cart track, and after that I don’t know where it went,” said Harrington, who had alerted an official and appealed in vain to the gallery for help.
A television crew did confirm the ball had hit the water, but could not say whether it was in the front or back hazard. Eventually, Harrington accepted the decision to take a penalty drop from the more “conservative” position. “It was hopelessly in the water. The TV saw it going in but there was a little bit of confusion as to where it might be,” he said.
Harrington was looking forward to an early start at the Tomson Golf Club tomorrow and his chance to eat into the Dyson’s lead.
“Tomorrow is another day,” he said.
“You get no wind in the morning and hopefully I’ll do a bit of a score. The course is nice, the scores are there to be done. The scoring reflects nicely that the course is very playable.” Greg Norman may well be eligible for the Champions Tour next year by virtue of turning 50, but he rolled back the years to finish just one stroke behind Simon Dyson. Norman sank five birdies and produced a gutsy effort to save par on the last, which included an unconventional approach from the 16th fairway, to record a bogey-free round of 67 and head into the second round in a four-strong group on five under par.
Norman followed his round with a 45-minute golf clinic for corporate guests and was in buoyant mood.
It is six years since his last tournament win, a decade since he tasted success on the European Tour and his creaky back remains a constant concern, but the Great White Shark has the scent of an unlikely victory.
“Yes, I do think I can win the thing,” he said. “Sometimes the travel is not great on my back but I’ve felt pretty good, which makes me feel relaxed in my mind about being able to play.
“If my back is acting up, I can’t rotate into my golf swing and I get frustrated because I can’t hit the shots I’d like to hit.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
