‘It’s a day to remember the great things Bob did’

It hardly mattered that he didn’t make a birdie and missed the cut comfortably after a sad 78.

Pádraig Harrington only had words of joy rather than sadness after hearing at the finish that the coach who made him a three-time Major winner had passed away.

“It puts it in perspective,” said Harrington of his day on hearing that the great Scottish coach Bob Torrance had died at the age of 82 after a seven month battle with cancer.

“He was a like a father to me.”

Harrington started working with Torrance in 1998 and transformed himself as a brilliant ball-striker, going on to win three Majors.

“It would never have happened without Bob,” Harrington said. “Absolutely not. He was a critical part of me winning my Major tournaments.

“You’d want to see the kind of ball striker I was before working with Bob. He did a phenomenal job over those years.

“I completely rebuilt my swing under Bob. It was always a joy to do it and a great experience to work with Bob

“He was like a father figure to so many people. He was a father figure to me too, after my own father’s passing.

“It was a sad day a few weeks ago when I went up to see him in Largs and he wasn’t having the cancer treated at that stage.

“But I can’t say it’s a sad a day today. It’s a day to remember the great things that Bob did.”

The pair split up after 12 years during at the Irish Open in Killarney in 2010, with Torrance insisting Harrington was “going down the wrong road” and that he couldn’t make swing changes after 40.

Harrington said: “I thought the world of Bob and it was a very difficult thing that I split up with him. I thought the world of him personally and always have. He was a joy to be around.

“He is one man whose life can be celebrated. He made a big difference to a lot of people in a great way.

“Any time he was on the range he would work with anybody, he would teach anybody from dawn to dusk.”

Darren Clarke carded a second successive 72 to trail leader Rory McIlroy by 11 shots but still had thoughts for Torrance.

Clarke said: “That is bad news, such very sad news. When I played in my first Irish Open as an amateur in 1990, it was with Sam Torrance and DJ Russell and Sam told me I’d got to start working with his dad and I did.

“I spent so many much time in Largs with him and June. Bob was a free spirit. He enjoyed himself. He was a wonderfully knowledgeable coach and he was a really good man.”

“I really loved Bob. I feel for his widow June, they were inseparable, and, of course, for Sam.”

As golf lost one genius, it may have gained another in leader McIlroy, with Clarke convinced his former protege will be a tough man to stop as the takes a four shot lead into the weekend.

“It’s wonderful,” Clarke said. “He’s had some tough Fridays and you guys keep reminding him about his tough Fridays but it’s great to see him go out and do what he’s doing today.

“He’s a great kid, a talented kid and if he keeps playing the way he is, he is going to be a very tough man to catch.”

Harrington said: “It really does look good for Rory. That’s a big lead to give anyone, let alone Rory when he’s feeling confident.”

As for his own game, Harrington said: “I just didn’t play well. I didn’t get any breaks and didn’t play well enough either. ”