Out-of-sorts Harrington admits defeat

Pádraig Harrington admitted he will treat today’s second round of the PGA Championship as practice after his ongoing woes continued with an opening six-over-par 76 at Oak Hill.

On a day when Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry departed the Rochester, New York, course satisfied — if not ecstatic — about their first rounds in the final Major of the year, Harrington’s 76 left the three-time Major winner thinking ahead already to next week’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina and his bid to break into the top 125 for the lucrative FedEx Cup play-off series later this month.

Currently lying 128th in those standings, Harrington will still be trying to improve his ranking more dramatically by making the cut here, but the ever-pragmatic Dubliner said he was viewing his second round today (6.25pm Irish time) as potentially his last before next week’s final regular PGA Tour event before the play-offs.