Harrington decision causes surprise

Both Colin Montgomerie and Nick Faldo have expressed their surprise at Padraig Harrington’s decision not to contest this week’s Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth.

Harrington went back to the top of Europe’s Order of Merit by beating Ryder Cup team-mate Thomas Bjorn in a play-off for the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open in Germany yesterday.

But he has chosen to miss the circuit’s flagship event simply because he has never had a top-10 finish there.

Montgomerie, who in stark contrast has had three wins and three seconds, said: “It seems very strange. He shot 61 in the World Match Play – it’s the same course, isn’t it?”

Faldo then added: “I’m very surprised. The way he has been playing you would think he can tackle anything.

“I’m surprised he throws last year’s missed cut into the equation. Sure there’s some courses you don’t get on with, but when you are playing well you think you can take anything on.

“I’m also surprised Ken (tour executive director Ken Schofield) has not had a quiet word. It’s a strange one, but it’s his decision.”

Harrington has spoken to Schofield about his decision and insists he will be back playing the tournament next season.

But having made plans to go to America next week and use the Memorial Tournament as his final warm-up for the US Open, he is not going to change his mind just because he has finished second and first the last two weeks.

“I’ve struggled every year there,” he repeated last night. “Maybe I could overcome it, but the reality is that if I do play I will mess up my plans and it could be detrimental for the rest of the season.

“I half wish I could give it a go, but it would mean playing six weeks in a row and I don’t want to do that.”

The other half of him knows that his confidence is sky-high at the moment and another bad time round the West Course would affect his hopes for the far more important second major of the year.

Having lost a four-stroke lead in the Benson and Hedges International Open the previous weekend – he actually ended up four behind Paul Casey – Harrington admits he feared another title slipping away after being overtaken on the final afternoon in Hamburg.

First it was Swede Niclas Fasth, another member of last September’s Ryder Cup team, with an eagle and four birdies in the first six holes. Then it was Bjorn with a best-of-the-week 63.

But Harrington, out in front at the end of each round, birdied the long 15th to draw back level and after sinking a 12-foot par putt on the last to force a play-off he captured first prize when the Dane failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker at the first hole of sudden death.

It spared the Dubliner a 20th runners-up finish of his career – and there was no hiding his relief and jubilation afterwards.

“It would have been rough not to win either of the last two and it did cross my mind. I wondered what I was going to say if it happened,” he added.

“It certainly would have been a real dent to my confidence not to come out on top.

“I won three times last year and thought I had it licked when I was in this situation, but after last week I was wondering whether I was back to not converting my chances. It’s nice when you do it and realise that you have learnt.

“Thomas pipped me for Rookie of the Year in our first season and normally comes out on top between us. Maybe I felt I was due one and it does get a bit of a monkey off my back between him and me.”