Pádraig seeking missing link

AN event that’s hardly on the professional golf radar this week offers Pádraig Harrington his last chance of redemption before heading for Turnberry in search of a third successive British Open Championship.

Harrington is in the unique and privileged position of having a tournament staged almost entirely for his benefit. When the Irish PGA Championship looked doomed some years ago having failed to find a sponsor, Harrington promised to play provided the event was staged on a links on the week before the Open.

With Harrington on board, the IPGA were able to come up with financial support, in this case from Ladbroke.com, and the event was staged as promised on the appropriate date at Pat Ruddy’s spectacular European Club links right on the Irish Sea at Brittas Bay in Co Wicklow.

After that, everything slotted nicely into place. Pádraig not only captured the IPGA title for the fourth and fifth times but went on to win the Opens of 2007 and 2008. He had no doubt that reacquainting himself with links golf at the European Club played a crucial part in those achievements.

“It may not have gained me a shot over the others but it saved me shots at Carnoustie and Birkdale,” was his rationale. That was then but this is now. After five missed cuts in succession and six in his last seven tournaments, Harrington heads for Turnberry with his game apparently in tatters. And yet he believes it is only a matter of time before he recaptures his form and that four solid rounds this week can help turn things around.

“I know the preparation I do for The Open, particularly playing the Irish PGA the week before on a links golf course, is crucial,” he says. “I have a good run-up to Turnberry. All I need to make sure is that I have a little fix put into my swing. Once that’s in there, I’m assuming I’ll be right on track.

“The last six months have been the worst in terms of performance since I turned pro. There are two or three things in that period of time that have been bothering me and have been taking a lot of time and energy in my practice. This work will definitely help me going forward. It may be the most productive time I’ve had off the golf course and the worst time I’ve had on the golf course.”

Harrington has slipped another spot in the world rankings to 12th having been 3rd at the start of the year and is 77th in the Race to Dubai European Tour order of merit. At least he is assured of playing four rounds this week given that he is the only touring professional in the field at the European Club although it would be another blow should he fail to emerge victorious.

All the other Irish Tour players are contesting the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond. Graeme McDowell defends the title he won by two shots over South African James Kingston and faces a difficult task to repeat that feat in a stellar field that includes Geoff Ogilvy and Rory McIlroy, second and third respectively in the Race to Dubai; new French Open champion Martin Kaymer; American-based Camilo Villegas, Adam Scott, Rory Sabbatini and Nick Watney; Masters champion Angel Cabrera, in-form Englishmen Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, and even Nick Faldo, six times major champion but better known these days for his television commentaries on CBS.

McIlroy and McDowell, now 20th and 45th respectively in the world rankings, lead the Irish challenge at Loch Lomond and are joined by Paul McGinley, Damien McGrane, Darren Clarke, Peter Lawrie, Gareth Maybin, Shane Lowry, Gary Murphy and Michael Hoey.

It will be interesting to see how three-time Irish Open champion Lowry progresses from the French Open at the weekend when he made his first cut since his famous victory at Baltray in May. He finished in a share of 50th and picked up a cheque for €16, 800. Because the points he would have earned in the Irish Open doesn’t count as he was an amateur at the time, Lowry comes onto the money list in 253rd place. However, the hope is that the breakthrough in Paris will lead to greater things.

For 71 holes of the French Open, it looked as if Darren Clarke was about to produce the kind of result his superb ball striking deserves. Over the first three days, the big Ulsterman shot ever decreasing rounds of 73, 69, 68 and a birdie at the 18th on Sunday would have maintained that trend. Instead, he found water twice to run up a disastrous quadruple bogey eight that sent him plummeting back down the field from a probable top 10 finish to a share of 31st.

If ever a golfer thrived on confidence, it’s Darren Clarke, so it was the last thing in the world he needed at this time! In fairness to him, though, when Harrington’s travails were raised with him, the answer was succinct and to the point: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Pádraig won the Open again. That’s the kind of guy he is. After all, he didn’t do a whole lot last year – apart from win two major championships”.

Race to Dubai European Tour order of merit, Irish positions: third, Rory McIlroy 1,314,987; 35th Graeme McDowell 407,899; 40th, Peter Lawrie 378,839; 46th, Gareth Maybin 357,543; 61st, Damien McGrane 299,068; 69th, Michael Hoey 279,026; 77th, Pádraig Harrington 248,919; 111th, Darren Clarke 156,858; 144th, Gary Murphy 111,217; 253rd, Shane Lowry 16,800.