Event growing on Harrington

The more Padraig Harrington has played the Accenture World Match Play Championship, the merrier he has become.

It is a trend the Dubliner hoped would continue today when he met South African Rory Sabbatini for a place in the last 16 – and then maybe Ian Poulter for a quarter-final spot.

Harrington lost in the first round the first three times he played in the event and wondered then whether it was even worth making the long trip to California.

But two years ago he finally won a game, albeit only one, and then last February he made it all the way to the last eight before going out to defending champion Tiger Woods.

After beating 1999 winner Jeff Maggert with a last-hole birdie at La Costa yesterday Harrington confessed to being “chuffed” with himself.

It was not simply that he had won – as did Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, David Howell, Luke Donald, Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Miguel Angel Jimenez and “big three” Woods, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson.

It was that Harrington had done so with a special shot, a 108-yard pitch for which he used a nine iron instead of a wedge so that it would not spin as much. He hit it to two feet.

“I normally hit a nine iron 140 yards, but all day I took two clubs off,” said the seventh seed. “When

you hit knockdown clubs the distance is a lottery, but at least you are not getting the spin.”

Sabbatini was an approximate seven under par for the 13 holes it took him to thrash Thomas Bjorn, but Harrington commented: “Give me the guy who played well yesterday.”

In match play, of course, you can be hot one day and freezing cold the next. It happens often.

Poulter was keeping his fingers crossed that it did not apply to him. He was also seven under in taking out 2003 US Open champion Jim Furyk and in the second round turned his attentions to Australian Stuart Appleby.

Westwood had the toughest-looking task of the surviving Europeans in the second round. He faced last year’s runner-up Davis Love after comfortably beating Steve Flesch four and three.

“Obviously he has done well in the past here, but over 18 holes anything can happen,” said Westwood. “I am looking forward to it and it was nice to get through the first round saving some energy.”

Donald’s victory over Zach Johnson put him up against another American opponent in Kenny Perry and if he comes through that Woods, champion the last two years, could be next in the afternoon third round.

Seeded only second this time because Singh has taken his world number one spot, Woods made it 13 wins a row by beating Nick Price four and three and was a red-hot favourite to see off Australian left-hander Nick O’Hern.

Paul Casey, Swedes Fredrik Jacobson and Joakim Haeggman and German Alex Cejka were other European losers.

Twelfth seed Darren Clarke was the second biggest casualty of an opening day which had been delayed 24 hours because of a week of torrential rain, after he fell to Graeme McDowell. Canadian Mike Weir, ranked fifth, went out to America’s Kirk Triplett.