Harrington still able to surprise himself
Padraig Harrington has not stopped surprising himself since the day he became a professional golfer.
‘‘It was the greatest shock in the world when I made the halfway cut in my first event,’’ said the Dubliner, looking back to 1996.
‘‘Then to win my 10th event was way above expectations. I was just hoping to keep my tour card. If somebody had said I would finish 75th on the Order or Merit I would have thought that was great.’’
Instead he finished 11th, then improved to eighth the following season and last year he made it all the way up to second. And now, at the age of 31, he is starting to look favourite to be crowned Europe’s number one in two weeks’ time.
Harrington was joint leader with South African Trevor Immelman going into the third day of the Telefonica Madrid Open today on the Club de Campo course where he not only had his maiden win in the 1996 Spanish Open, but also captured the Turespana Masters two years ago.
In the money list race the Ryder Cup star currently trails Retief Goosen by just under £34,000 (€53,900) and Goosen’s fellow South African Ernie Els by just over £4,000 (€6,300).
But Els is not in the Spanish capital this week and is not planning to play either next week’s Italian Open or the season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama.
Goosen, winner of the Order of Merit last year, will not be in Rome either and having fallen four behind Harrington at seven under par yesterday the pendulum has swung the Irishman’s way.
It is not only domestically that Harrington, close to cracking the £6m (€9.5m) barrier in earnings, has to pinch himself at the success he has made of his career.
He broke into the world’s top 50 at the end of 1999, reached the top 10 when he won the Volvo Masters last November and is now at an all-time high of sixth.
Only Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Els, Goosen and Sergio Garcia are ahead of him and he freely admits: ‘‘It absolutely baffles me.’’
Having seen Goosen overtake him to win the Madrid Open last year, though, there can be no relaxing.
Harrington led on his own for most of yesterday, but 22-year-old Immelman, three times a runner-up this season, had four birdies in his last six holes.
The last of them, a 15-footer, came in near darkness just before play was called off for the day with 29 players still to finish. An earlier 90-minute fog delay caused the problem.
Safely in the clubhouse and well in the hunt, though, were two of the tour’s elder statesmen - another Irishman in Des Smyth and his fellow 49-year-old Sam Torrance, still on a high from the Ryder Cup win last month.
Between them Smyth and Torrance have walked something like 30,000 miles on the European tour. This is Smyth’s 592nd event and Torrance’s 677th.
Torrance matched Harrington’s 66 yesterday and is nine under, two behind, but Smyth had a 63, the second lowest round of his 29-year career, and shared third place overnight on 10 under.
In March last year Smyth became the oldest-ever tour winner when he lifted the Madeira Island Open, but he is thinking ahead, not back.
In two weeks’ time he is playing in the US Seniors Tour qualifying school and said: ‘‘I’ve got to go through regional qualifying first and I think there’s an edge coming back into my game.
‘‘There’s only eight cards on offer and it’s a big challenge. I will have to play my best to get through it all.
‘‘It’s very exciting to have a round like that. I love just breaking 70 these days - I always think I’ve had a successful day if I do that.’’
Torrance becomes eligible for the Seniors Tour next August and his target before then is to take over from Smyth as the oldest-ever winner.
His own game took a back seat during the three years he was Europe’s captain, but following the win he said: ‘‘I’m certainly relaxed and I think we’re all on a high. Hopefully it will last forever.
‘‘I’ve shaken so many hands since The Belfry. My right hand’s so strong it’s scary - I could beat Mike Tyson!’’
