Mixed messages from Harrington
So what is he attempting to achieving? Harrington explained: “I’ve been trying to change my impact position and through that, a combination of other things turned up. When you change one thing, a few other adjustments are needed. Trying to figure out which adjustments goes with which has been a little bit more complicated than expected and is taking a little longer than expected.’’
Harrington left the European Club on Saturday with a sixth Irish PGA Championship in the bag but also claimed he remained unhappy with his swing.
“I’m clutching at straws,” he maintained, adding: “I can’t wait to get to Scotland and see Bob Torrance (swing coach) and Bob Rotella (mind coach).”
He met both and then spent six hours on the range in a desperate attempt to put things right. Clearly his work ethic is as commendable as ever but it doesn’t sound like either of the two Bobs was able to work the oracle.
“I was here last Sunday and Monday and I never hit the ball better,” he stated. “And then I played in the Irish PGA and really struggled at times with my swing there. I did a lot of the work on Monday trying to establish where it had gone in that week.
“I worked hard with Bob (Torrance) and changed a few little things. And that’s never great going into a tournament because it’s not going to be automatic by Thursday. It leaves a lot of doubt in my performance this week.
“I may swing the club better because of that work but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I will play better. I have made the physical change with Bob Torrance, now I have to make sure I manage it well with Bob Rotella. That’s the complication. I’d love if someone could push the Open back a couple of weeks but I don’t have that option. So we’ll go with whatever we have on Thursday.”
Harrington played nine holes yesterday and plans another nine today, believing the work he can do on the practice ground is more important than gleaning any further knowledge of the Turnberry links.
He is adamant that accurate striking is essential this week and accepts the driver will feature more often than at the European Club last week when he used it only once in each round – at the long 13th.
“I really don’t know what to expect and I am no more than hopeful,” he conceded. “This is a very tough and long course. Nature is taking its course and the rough is very lush at the bottom and if you hit it in there, it’s going to be a struggle. It suits somebody who hits it straight.”
One positive from Harrington’s swing issue is that he has little time to consider the talk of a title hat-trick. He admitted: “You only feel the pressure if you are in contention and winning tournaments. I’ve been doing different things. There’s been a lot of talk about my performances but I don’t get involved in that. I’ve been busy doing my own thing and it’s a little harder to do so when you’re in the public spotlight.”
You have to admire a man who will play in a tournament offering €26,000 instead of a far more prestigious event with a prize fund of close on €4m because it was taking place on a links course the week before the Open. And Harrington certainly has no regrets about his decision.
“There a massive adjustment to links golf,” he insisted. “I can’t explain to people the difference between hitting golf balls off links turf. The difference in temperature between playing by the seaside and on a pristine, sunny course with the ball sitting up could make up to 30 yards in difference.
“You have to adjust for that and it takes a while. So it’s not about what most people think about traditional links golf … there’s a varied amount of shots but it’s really getting used to chipping off the turf and controlling your distance off a turf which we don’t play that often.’’
Harrington is currently 14th in the world rankings and it could be a happy omen that he was also on that mark 12 months ago when he won by four shots at Birkdale.
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