Pádraig gets a kick out of watching Phil

Professional golfers admit that defending an apparently invincible lead is something they don’t always relish. And that’s why Pádraig Harrington was so impressed by the manner in which his playing partner Phil Mickelson led the Phoenix Open from start to finish at the weekend.

“Obviously when you’re leading, you’re confident, but it’s tough to lead from the front,” explained Harrington. “Phil had a substantial lead and he’s won a number of tournaments so he was a good bet in that situation.

“But I think for most professional golfers, holding the lead is always going to be one of the toughest things. If you’re chasing, if it goes well, great, you win the tournament or catch the leader.

“If it doesn’t go well, you hide in the pack and you get patted on the back for finishing top 10.”

The point was not lost on Mickelson, who has now improved 12 places to 10th in the world rankings and to third in the FedEx Cup points list.

“I was certainly nervous heading into [Sunday] and the thing I’m most excited about was the way I was able to regain control of my thoughts after a few shots early on that I didn’t care for. This is an important one for me because it’s been a while since I’ve been in contention.”

Harrington had to settle for a share of ninth after Saturday’s sparkling 64 left him with high hopes entering the final round. Nevertheless, he has improved five places in the world rankings to 47th, having begun the year in 59th spot. So there is gradual progress and improvement as he sets out in this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach pro-am.

Having clearly enjoyed himself in the unique and amazing atmosphere of the Phoenix Open, Harrington should also be in a relaxed frame of mind as he once again partners JP McManus over three great courses — Pebble Beach, Poppy Hills and Spyglass Hill — on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Defending champion Mickelson seeks a fifth victory and is the bookmakers’ favourite after his heroics in Phoenix.

Harrington is looking forward to renewing his partnership with McManus, encouraged by a decent performance in Phoenix where he revelled in the atmosphere at the amphitheatre-style par-three 16th hole, thronged with more than 25,000 fans over the final two rounds.

“It is exciting, you have to embrace it, that’s what we’re here for,” he said. “We play a lot of events but Phoenix is unique. You’ve got to love it.”

He lived up to those words by joining in the fun and kicking a number of American footballs into the grandstands surrounding the hole, although he admits it wasn’t quite as much fun as it might have appeared.

“I’m a professional golfer, I have a routine and I know what I’m doing. But I had never kicked an American football before. I wanted to get it airborne with a little bit of distance. I hooked the first three or four quite a bit. And then the last one, I actually made sweet contact and kicked it over the stand. As an Irishman, we enjoy when people sing óle, óle, óle, so that was the best part of the day. Having gone to football matches in my day and sang it myself, when it’s sung to you, it’s a special occasion.”

n Waterville’s David Higgins makes his first appearance since regaining his European Tour card last November in this week’s Joburg Open. Damien McGrane and Gareth Maybin are the other Irishmen in the field.