Harrington ready for legends and length

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON was already in good spirits when he was informed that he would play the first two rounds of the 150th Open Championship with 60-year-old Tom Watson and Ryo Ishikawa, 18. While Harrington has been a long time fan and admirer of Watson, he has also seen enough of Iskikawa to believe he is another Watson in the making.

Between them, Watson (5) and Harrington (2) have seven claret jugs and there is a widespread belief that in the fullness of time Ishikawa will become the first Japanese to hold the famous old trophy aloft. What all three don’t have on their cv, however, is an Open victory at St Andrews and that’s something they would dearly love to rectify this week.

“It’s nice to have won a couple of them and it would certainly be nice to win an Open at St Andrews,” said Harrington. “It’s a good week to play well, it’s a good week to compete and it would be a great week to win.”