Harrington set for Olazabal Ryder Cup snub
Harrington, who was competing in the company of USA Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III, posted a four-over-par 76 to fall back to two over par but assured of making the halfway cut in the year’s final Major.
The course along the Atlantic Ocean shoreline played on the first day like a pit bull terrier with no teeth, calm and hardly offensive, but yesterday’s second round it turned into a pit bull terrier with a tooth ache, nasty and now very angry.
There had been another thunderstorm overnight with players arriving at the course to be greeted by winds up around 35mph.
Harrington, whose last main Tour win was the 2008 PGA Championship, had to take two unplayable drops after finding water during his round.
There was just one player, fellow PGA winner Vijay Singh, who managed to break par in shooting a 69 among the early round finishers and seize the clubhouse lead on four under par, two clear of Welshman Jamie Donaldson (73).
“It wasn’t stress-free and it was tough,” said Harrington. “But then it’s not the wind that is strong as it’s the golf course is really, really difficult.”
Harrington had returned to Kiawah Island in upbeat mood, the venue where he teamed up with Paul McGinley in 1997 to deliver Ireland a first World Cup success. However, Harrington, who was also lying 19th on the Ryder Cup points table, bravely faced the reality of his Medinah plight when he was asked to address European Team captain Jose Maria Olazabal’s virtualwildcard ‘snubbing’ of the Dubliner during a Tuesday press conference.
Olazabal went to great lengths to sing the praise of countryman Sergio Garcia and England’s Ian Poulter but simply paid lip-service to Harrington’s hope of making it a seventh straight Ryder Cup, saying he needed something “extraordinary” to make the team.
“He [Olazabal] said it, so there you go,” said Harrington. “He’s obviously got players in mind from that.
“I can’t do anything about it, honestly. I missed out on the eight tournaments that guarantee you world ranking points by not playing well last year.
“I’ve played solid in every event. I really — I couldn’t be happier with my form and my game. But you know, such is life!”
And asked if he was surprised with the apparent certainty of Olazabal’s tone, Harrington said: “Well, he’s obviously got things in his mind.
“There certainly isn’t very much room for a pick for me. You’re looking at Ian Poulter (12th on the points table) is going to get one and there’s one left. So I’m not in the reckoning as it stands.”
And Harrington denied there is any bad blood between he and the Spaniard.
“I get on with José but it’s quite clear with one pick already basically gone, it leaves very little options left,” said Harrington.
Joining Harrington in the assurance of playing all four rounds is Graeme McDowell who signed for a similar 76, And as the afternoon drew on it looked likely all five Irish, including Michael Hoey and competing in his PGA debut, would make the cut.
Hoey fought back from a first round 76 to birdie in a round of 70 for four over par score.
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