Pádraig looking for a lift at Whistling Straits

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON has declared himself ready to do some heavy lifting ahead of this week’s US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

This week marks the two-year anniversary of Harrington’s stunning Oakland Hills triumph that assured Ireland’s greatest golfer a third Major Championship in six starts. But it’s been 24 months since Harrington has been snapped holding any Tour trophy and he’s determined to correct that this week in teeing-up along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

“It seems long enough since I won the Wanamaker Trophy that I need to go back and do it again,” he said after carding a final round 66 in Akron on Sunday.

“So I am up for a bit of heavy lifting. I’m looking forward to getting to this week and I’ll try to get my preparation right. This week is a Major so if you don’t get your preparation right, you feel like you have lost an opportunity.”

Harrington was placed 45th in 2004 when the former US Army site first hosted a Major and is relishing his return.

“It’s a great course but tough with a lot of crosswinds,” he said. “The crosswinds whip across like at the first where it’s a dog leg. With the wind coming off the wrong side, that’s a nasty hole to hit the fairway on.

“There is a lot of tough driving holes and plenty of treachery out there and you have got to play well.

“I remember back in 2004 it played like a links. The ball really did move and if you hit the fairway, you could get 30 to 40 yards of run on the ball.”

Joining Harrington this week are Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Shane Lowry and Darren Clarke.

And it was Clarke’s polite thank you letter after receiving a similar invite into last year’s US PGA at Hazeltine that prompted the PGA of American to again invite Portrush’s newest resident.

“Darren got that invite because he wrote and thanked the tournament director after getting a PGA invite last year and that’s the main reason,” said ISM manager, Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler. “When he got to Hazeltine last year Darren was told that no one had ever done the before so doing that has stood him in good stead.”

Chandler played down suggestions it was a case of the Majors ‘Last Chance Saloon’ for his client. “No, definitely not because I believe he can have a run for the next two or three,” he said.

“And Darren is still thinking Ryder Cup and he’s thinking with a good week at the PGA that we would have a look at his schedule. But he has a big problem with next week after the PGA with the Czech Open as he has two of his academy outings that week, one in Portrush and the other at Carton House. So if he were to finish top 10 or top 15 in the PGA and then have two more good weeks, it might nearly qualify him automatically. That’s what Darren will be striving to do.”