Harrington leads from the front

Double Open champion Padraig Harrington today led from the front as Europe began their quest for a fourth straight Ryder Cup victory at Valhalla.

Harrington and Sweden’s Robert Karlsson produced a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly to lead Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim by three holes with six to play in the opening foursomes.

And English duo Justin Rose and Ian Poulter – a controversial wild card selection by captain Nick Faldo – were also two ahead of Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell at the turn.

However, Europe’s star pairing of Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia were one down after eight to Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk, Garcia’s amazing 100% record in foursomes looking in jeopardy.

And Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson were one down to Justin Leonard and Hunter Mahan after 11 holes despite winning the first two.

After winning the opening hole with a birdie, a terrible tee shot from Harrington on the third allowed the Americans to get back on level terms, but the Irishman then holed a superb par putt on the sixth to restore their lead.

Par was enough for the Americans to draw level on the eighth and there was then a worrying sight for European fans as Harrington received treatment from physio Dale Richardson, grimacing in pain as Richardson worked on his neck.

The treatment seemed to work as Harrington hit a perfect drive up the ninth, and although he missed from five feet for birdie there, he made no mistake from just three feet on the 10th.

Par was enough to win the 11th and Harrington’s superb approach to just three feet on the next set up another birdie to win a third hole in succession.

A run of three birdies in a row from the third had helped Rose and Poulter into a three-hole lead at one point, but Campbell birdied the eighth to reduce the deficit.

Garcia and Westwood got off to the perfect start with a birdie on the first and were still one up after five, but lost the sixth to a par and the seventh to a birdie after failing to get up and down from over the green on the par five.

Both teams had received loud cheers on the first tee and there were chants of ’USA, USA’ as the players headed off down the fairway, European fans responding with cries of ’Where’s your Tiger gone?’ and ’There’s only one Nick Faldo’.

The American players and captain Paul Azinger attended a “pep rally” in downtown Louisville last night to urge spectators to be their “13th man”.

But Azinger could have overstepped the mark with his reported comment to the crowd that ’You can cheer when they (Europe) miss putts’.