Eyes deceive Harrington with hit and miss on the greens
A year after driving up Magnolia Lane “in the horrors” with his putting, the 41-year-old Dubliner will once again bid to clinch the elusive third leg of the career grand slam and overcome the putting doubts that have dogged him since he won the US PGA more than four and a half years ago.
Committing to his reads on the greens has been a frustrating exercise for the three-time major winner this year, even with the help of spectacles. But having finished 10th in his final warm-up event behind Martin Laird and Rory McIlroy in San Antonio on Sunday, he will be relying on all his experience on the famed Augusta putting surfaces to put himself in the mix for the final round.
Eighth last year, despite holing virtually nothing in an otherwise impressive final round, Harrington’s experience is outweighed by the scar tissue left behind by many Augusta disasters — both his own and those suffered by others.
Still, he’s happy to accept those as part of the package having made great strides on the greens since last season.
“Putting wise, I was terrible going into the Masters last year,” he reported. “I’m a lot better than that now and have been all year. I was in the horrors going into the Masters last year.
“That’s one of the tough things about Augusta for people who haven’t played there. They have to get familiar with putts that always are quicker than they look.
“Experience gives you such an advantage at Augusta for a lot of shots and putts.”
While the pines echo with the roars of the great, iconic shots, the ghosts of disasters roam amongst the trees.
Harrington has plenty of his own bad memories but one of his first missions this year will be to head into the bushes right of the 10th hole to see where Bubba Watson was when he hit the wedge that set up a Masters-winning birdie over Louis Oosthuizen in last year’s playoff.
“I’ve seen it on TV and now I want to see it for real.”
It’s unlikely he will attempt it left-handed but there’s no doubt that Watson’s wonder shot left a lasting impression, like so many immortal Masters moments.
“It’s like Seve’s shot over the wall in Crans Montana. The plaque is probably a yard or two closer to the wall than he was. It was a phenomenal shot, no doubt.”
Strangely, Harrington is indifferent about Tiger Woods’ chip-in at the 16th in the 2005 Masters — the most recent of his four green jackets — or the daredevil six-iron Phil Mickelson threaded between two trees on the par-five 13th in 2010. There are other shots he thinks are better, or more interesting.
“The first year you get there, probably the two shots you try the most are the Larry Mize chip from the right of 11 and the Sandy Lyle bunker shot at 18.
Charl Schwartzel made an eagle two on the third to overtake Rory McIlroy in 2011 en route to his green jacket but Harrington is more interested in the South African’s chip-in for birdie at the first in that final round.
“I’m just fascinated by the shot,” he said. “A lot of guys would have taken six from there. It possibly won him the tournament.
“It’s very rare you have the opportunity to make birdie without the possibility of bogey or double-bogey if you don’t execute the shot well. I don’t think there’s a soft hole on the course.”
While he’s in the last year of his five-year Masters exemption for winning the 2008 US PGA, Harrington prefers to think positively.
“Well, I’d like to win. That’d give me a lifetime exemption into the Masters,” he said.
As for finishing his career without a green jacket, he added: “If I’ve a chance of winning the next 10 Masters and lose each of them in a playoff, I think I’d be bitter.
“It’s all about perspective. How many chances you have.”
Harrington has yet to have a really good chance of winning but if he never wins, he might not be disappointed.
“If I’ve won eight Majors and haven’t got a Masters, shucks that’d be tough, wouldn’t it.”
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