Harrington makes useful start

Padraig Harrington took a share of the early clubhouse lead in Connecticut as the first wave of players completed their opening rounds at the Travelers Championship.

With Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell following Justin Rose and Lee Westwood and completing a hat-trick of successive European victories in the United States last week when he won the US Open at Pebble Beach, Irishman Harrington kept the flag flying with an opening six-under-par 64 at TPC River Highlands near Hartford.

Seven birdies and just one bogey on the 6,844-yard, par-70 course, ranked 36th in difficulty out of the 51 in use on the PGA Tour last year, put the three-time major winner into a three-way, one-stroke lead with Australian Mathew Goggin and South Korea’s Charlie Wi.

American quartet Bubba Watson, Kevin Sutherland, Ben Curtis and US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin were all a shot in arrears after each posting 65s with six players in the clubhouse with 66s.

Swedish pair Carl Petterson and Mathias Gronberg shot three-under 67s with Australians Adam Scott, Rod Pampling and Michael Sim as well as Retief Goosen of South Africa posting 68s, four shots off the pace.

Defending champion Kenny Perry, who shot an opening course-record-equalling 61 12 months ago, was in a group finishing at one under, as was Scotland’s Martin Laird and Englishman Brian Davis while Memorial champion Rose got his opening round off to a good start, moving to one under after two holes with a birdie at the par-four second.