Harrington thankful for major test

Although British Open champion Padraig Harrington admits he is currently nowhere near the level that saw him raise the Claret Jug at Carnoustie, he concedes the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio has provided him with excellent preparation for next week’s US PGA Championship.

Testing conditions and a demanding set-up at the Firestone Country Club have made the €5.9m event, led at the halfway stage by South Africa’s Rory Sabbatini on six under par, the ideal tune-up for next week’s final major of the season at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma.