Harrington fourth Irishman to lift Golf Writers’ Trophy

PADRAIG HARRINGTON last night became the fourth Irishman to receive the Golf Writers’ Trophy presented annually by the Association of Golf Writers.

He was honoured for his victory in last year’s Open Championship and followed in the footsteps of Joe Carr in 1953; Harry Bradshaw, 1958, and Christy O’Connor Senior, 1977.

Harrington joins such luminaries of the game as Tony Jacklin, Severiano Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle and Annika Sorenstam.

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ONE of the more disappointing aspects of the season has been the failure of Damian McGrane and Peter Lawrie to build on their first European Tour wins in the Chinese and Spanish Opens. In contrast, Graeme McDowell followed up his victory in the Ballantines tournament in Korea with success on Sunday in the Scottish Open.

Lawrie isn’t at Birkdale while McGrane is here after a series of missed cuts and a disastrous third round at Loch Lomond. He managed a 69 on Sunday and hopes this first Open Championship appearance will prove memorable.

“I missed six of seven cuts after China and my confidence took a bruising,” he admitted. “I couldn’t seem to accumulate any scores on the golf course. You’re going to have these things from time to time and, hopefully, I’ve survived it.”

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ERNIE ELS isn’t the kind of guy to talk up a rival player’s prospects, especially when it’s Sergio Garcia, the championship favourite. As it happens, though, the South African and the Spaniard are good friends.

“His putting has come a long way and that’s the chief reason he won the Players Championship this year,” he said. “He has always been a very good ball striker and obviously loves links conditions. Of the young players, he’s got by far the best record in the championships. So I really rate him this week.”

So how come they’re such good friends? “Well,” said Els with a slow grin, “he bought my house in Lake Nona which makes him a VERY good friend of mine. I gave him a good deal, by the way!”

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IF there’s to be another European winner this week, much of the wise money is on England’s Lee Westwood to keep the claret jug on this side of the Atlantic. He’s had a great year on both tours and was within a shot of the US Open play-off. Not surprisingly, his heroics at Torrey Pines have convinced him that the elusive first major is only just around the corner. “The fact that I got into contention there and didn’t back-off gives me a deal of confidence,” he stated. “Coming down the last fairway, I had a chance. Any time you experience that in golf, it’s got to be something you can fall back on in future tournaments.”

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GREG NORMAN will return to Royal Troon where he so nearly won The 1989 Open Championship against all the odds, looking for his maiden Senior Major Championship victory when he tees up at The Senior Open next week.

The Great White Shark lost in a three-way play-off 19 years ago with eventual winner Mark Calcavecchia and fellow Australian Wayne Grady, after he made six consecutive birdies to shoot a course record 64 in his final round to join the pair in the playoff.

Norman, who lifted The Claret Jug in 1986 and 1993, is the only golfer in history to be number one on both sides of the Atlantic, winning The European Tour Order of Merit in 1982 and topping the US PGA Tour Money list in 1986, 1990 and 1995. It is only the second time the 53-year-old has played in the Senior Open, after he finished third behind winner Tom Watson on his debut in 2005 at Royal Aberdeen. Having missed the past two years due to a long-standing back injury, Norman heads to Royal Troon after showing he can still compete at the highest level; finishing tied sixth at the US Senior PGA Championship in May and tied 14th at the Asian Open on The European Tour the month before.

Norman admitted he was heading to Ayrshire determined to win The Senior Open after narrowly missing out nearly two decades ago.

He said: “I’m sure that the memories will come flooding back when I stand on the first tee, recalling The Open I could have won here back in 1989.

“When Mark Calcavecchia made his putt to win The Open I went over and sincerely congratulated him. But clearly I felt as though The Open at Troon had slipped my grasp.