Pádraig Harrington goes from hero to zero after opening round 76 at Valspar Championship

Pádraig Harrington plunged from the penthouse to the basement in his very first competitive round since capturing the Honda Classic.

Harrington was lying second last with a shock five over par 76 early on the opening day of the $US 5.9m Valspar Championship in Tampa Bay. He had returned to Florida’s Sunshine State buoyed by a play-off victory in capturing a second Honda Classic title that also ended a seven-year PGA Tour winning drought.

But 10 days on and Harrington is already staring at missing the cut on the Innisbrook Copperhead course. Harrington opened his round with a double bogey after finding rough well right of the fairway at the 10th from where he was forced to chip some 22 yards back out the fairway, and when he found the green in three, he three putted from 14 feet.