Short and sweet for Harrington

A MASSIVE improvement in his short game had Pádraig Harrington in a far more positive frame of mind after yesterday’s opening round of the Ladbrokes.com Irish PGA Championship at the European Club.

A three under par 68 on a day – when the wind at this superbly conditioned links on the edge of the Irish Sea amounted to little more than a zephyr – was nothing exceptional and indeed Harrington ended the day a stroke behind Leslie Walker, the 40-year-old professional at Dundalk, who returned a blemish-less 67. Nine players finished under the par of 71.

However, the Open champion came here with two key targets in mind – to reacquaint himself with links golf and to acquire some badly needed confidence and self belief after missing five cuts in a row. While he was thrilled with the improvement in his chipping and putting, he wasn’t getting ahead of himself where his overall ball striking was concerned and is looking for gradual improvement over the next three days so that he can set off on Sunday for Turnberry and the defence of his Open Championship in a more relaxed and focused state of mind.