Harrington rues missed opportunity

Padraig Harrington and Retief Goosen went their separate ways today - Harrington to Rome, Goosen to Atlanta.

But they will be back together at Valderrama in Spain next week for what promises to be an exciting final lap in the year-long race to be Europe’s top money-winner.

Harrington was the more disappointed of the two at the end of the Madrid Open yesterday, having failed not just to eat into the South African’s £34,000 (€54,000) lead, but having also failed to go well clear by winning the tournament.

A stroke ahead with a round to play, the Ryder Cup Irishman managed only a closing 72 to finish joint seventh with Goosen, four strokes behind Dane Steen Tinning.

Harrington, though, can make amends this week. While he plays in the Italian Open starting on Thursday Goosen will be competing in the United States Tour Championship.

“It was always going to come down to the Volvo Masters,” said Harrington. “This was a great chance, it really was. It was there for me to do and for some reason the putts were just not dropping.

“I had a disaster on the greens and that puts pressure on the rest of your game.

“It was a week that had great potential and it ended up really disappointing. I had three three-putts on the front nine and you can’t win doing that.

“By the last couple of holes my confidence was gone. But such is life and I’m looking forward to Italy.

“I actually felt better about my swing than I had in the first three rounds (which he played in 16 under). I realised where my bad shots were coming from.

“But I would have been better off continuing like I was because I started thinking too much.”

A win next Sunday would give Harrington a lead of around £80,000 (€127,000) entering the Volvo Masters, but he needs a top-four finish just to be ahead with one event to go.

Goosen was hardly oozing confidence when he spoke, despite a closing 67.

“I didn’t play well enough – and I’ve not been playing so well lately,” said the world number four, who clinched the Order of Merit last season by winning in Madrid.

“I tried, but it just didn’t happen.” And with that he was off to see if there were any flights back to London because of the storms prior to crossing the Atlantic today.

Tinning won his second tour title by a stroke from former Ryder Cup Scot Andrew Coltart, Australian Adam Scott and Londoner Brian Davis, who was a real advert for married life. His wedding to the daughter of former England goalkeeper Ray Clemence was only last Sunday.

In 1990 Tinning and his wife Anne were lucky to escape with their lives after a multiple car crash in which his right arm was detached and his left was left dangling by skin and muscle.

He was out of the game for 18 months and after eventually returning lost his tour card in 1996.

After fighting his way back onto the circuit he then suffered a broken thumb in 1999 when he was struck by a wayward shot from an amateur while picking up balls on a driving range.

Back he came again and two years ago he won the Wales Open at Celtic Manor. But this time last year Tinning thought he had played his last-ever event because of back trouble.

“I didn’t say goodbye to people, but in my mind I was finished,” he stated. “I birdied the last three holes of the BMW International in Germany and thought that was a proper way to finish.

“My back was giving me so many problems just to get to the first tee. I was in the physio unit two or three times a day and there was no solution. It just kept on hurting.”

Tinning took four months off trying to strengthen his back and at last felt able to return. But even now he does not play more than three events in a row.

Little wonder that holding another trophy in his arms felt so special.

The lead changed an amazing 26 times on the final day and seven players in all held at least a share of it before Tinning sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the short 17th and saw Scott, one ahead with two to play, miss a four-foot par putt.

Both then parred the last, giving Tinning a 67, a 19-under-par aggregate and the £146,507 (€232,500) first prize.

He moves up from 85th to 41st in the money list and earned himself a place in the Volvo Masters.