Harrington hunting his old ‘spark’

Pádraig Harrington is aiming to rediscover his “spark” this week when he competes in the KLM Open for the first time in 11 years.

A frustrating season has yielded just two top 10 finishes on the European Tour so far, but the three-time Major winner hopes to turn the corner in Zandvoort, Netherlands.

The 42-year-old, whose last European Tour victory came at the 2008 US PGA Championship, believes he is close to his best form, but needs to find a way of resurrecting the on-course intensity for which he became famed.

Harrington, playing alongside former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar in the Pro-Am, said: “I’ve been hitting the ball well in practice, just not putting it together out on the course. I hit the ball well on the range and feel quite comfortable about my game but then don’t live up to expectations when I’ve got a card in my hand.

“Whenever I’ve played my best golf in the past, I’ve generally felt quite fearful about the state of my game. I tended to get quite tense and focused and as a result I played much better, but because there’s no fear at the moment, I’m not bringing much of a spark out onto the course.

“It’s just something I’m going to have to manage to figure out, but I’m definitely working at it — I never stop working at this game.”

Harrington said: “It’ll be a slightly different challenge this week with it playing softer after all the rain so controlling your ball flight will be key.