Irish Golf Desk

Harrington on the back foot again

Brian Keogh — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:56:36 PDT

Padraig Harrington is running out of time to be ready for the Open after a confidence-sapping performance in the second round of the Ladbrokes.com Irish PGA.

The Dubliner hit a one under 70 to grab a one-stroke lead over Dundalk’s Leslie Walker on four under par at The European Club.

But he completely lost his trust in his swing and spent nearly three hours bashing balls on the range in the afternoon to try rectify his faulty backswing in time to chase a hat-trick of Claret Jugs at Turnberry next week.

With just two days to go before he jets off to Scotland, he said: “Hopefully it will be better tomorrow. We’ll have to wait and see. I’m not going to panic over one day, let’s say.”

Harrington finds his putting touch

Brian Keogh — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:35:28 PDT

Padraig Harrington got a massive Open boost when he scorched to his first sub par round for seven weeks in the Ladbrokes.com Irish PGA Championship.

Just eight days before he seeks a hat-trick of Claret Jugs at Turnberry, the Dubliner rediscovered his putting touch to fire a three under par 68 and trail Dundalk’s Leslie Walker by a stroke at a windless European Club.

Torrance sees two sides of Harrington

Brian Keogh — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:53:05 PDT

Bob Torrance would not be surprised if Padraig Harrington won the Open again next week. But in this piece by The Scotsman's Mike Aiken, the veteran swing coach explains that after spending two days working on the Dubliner's swing at Turnberry, he saw two things: a slight lack of confidence in his pupil and a glimpse of the genius that makes him such a compelling sportsman.

"I think I understood a bit of his thinking for the first time in 13 years. He hit two to the left and I said: 'What happened there?' He replied: 'I just wanted to see what was over there, in case I happen to be over there in the tournament…'"

Turnberry rough shocks Harrington

Brian Keogh — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:35:12 PDT

Padraig Harrington is expecting a rough ride in next week’s Open at Turnberry.

And that’s why he insists that the €26,000 Ladbrokes.com Irish PGA Championship at The European Club is more important than it’s ever been to his chances of lifting the Claret Jug.

TurnberryIreland’s triple major winner was shocked to find “the thickest rough I have ever seen” on a two-day trip to the Open venue on Sunday and Monday.

But he’ll face something similar at Pat Ruddy’s County Wicklow links and reckons it is still not too late to boost his confidence and sharpen up his misfiring putter before he bids for a hat-trick of Open titles last achieved by Peter Thomson in 1956.

Higgins qualifies for the Open

Brian Keogh — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:28:21 PDT

David Higgins grabbed a dream place in the Open at Turnberry and immediately set his sights on giving Padraig Harrington a run for his money in the Irish PGA.

Harrington's Open training ground - The European Club

Brian Keogh — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:50:40 PDT

The European Club will probably go down as the world's last great links course - a design as unique and interesting as its creator and owner, Pat Ruddy.

Step right down! The par-3 14th has a deep bunker guarding the front right corner.As on the eve of the Irish PGA Championship, where Padraig Harrington is hoping to win the title for the third year in a row before attempting the triple-double by bagging a hat-trick of Claret Jugs at Turnberry, the man who shaped the links took time out of talk about his efforts to help Ireland's most successful golfer take another step towards sporting immortality.

Do you go out of your way to set this up like Turnberry or the Open venue? Yes!

Unashamedly so? Positively so! There are two purposes. We are hosting the national championship, which is a great honour. And then the excitement, the fun and the challenge of perhaps helping minutely a great golfer get ready for a great event next week. It’s only logical … when people are to run at altitude they go high up to prepare. So this is a version of the same thing – to acclimatise a man, to get him ready.

A woman of some importance - Marian Riordan

Brian Keogh — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:59:14 PDT

Marian Riordan hopes that beauty can conquer the beast when she becomes the first woman to tee it up in the Ladbrokes.com Irish PGA at The European Club today.

Pat Ruddy’s magnificent Brittas Bay links has brought some of Ireland’s best to their knees over the years, no more so that last season's Irish championship, when the cut fell at a whopping 19 over par

Marian mashes one on the first at The European Club.But Ladies European Tour pro Riordan, 28, is hoping that she can use brain power to her advantage when she goes toe to toe with the likes of triple major winner Padraig Harrington and the cream of Ireland’s club professionals in the country's oldest professional championship.

A modest 250-yard hitter (with run), Tipperary native Riordan earned her place in the field when she shot a six over par 77 on the Wicklow wonderland eight weeks ago to share fourth place in an 18-hole qualifier.

And she’s banking on her mental strength and patience to make up for her lack of muscle off the tee in an event that Harrington will be bidding to win for the sixth time since 1998 and the fourth in five years.

She explained: “I don’t try and compare myself with the guys. They are blasting it 300 yards with ease and I probably carry it 230 yards and it goes 250. But I work with (PGA pro) Gillian Burrell on keeping calm on the golf course and that’s where I think I will have a little bit of an advantage over some of the younger guys this week because this course will push you to the limit.

“If you don’t know how to handle that - if you hit a bad shot and come away with a double or a triple - you are in trouble unless you can dig deep inside. Once it starts going badly here, it can go really badly.”

Harrington back at Turnberry

Brian Keogh — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:30:55 PDT

Missing the cut in France had an upside. By the look of these pictures it would appear that Padraig Harrington has made a second reconnaissance trip to Turnberry, seven weeks after seeing the course for the first time.

No doubt he will have picked up some important information before he goes for a hat-trick of Irish PGA wins at The European Club in Co Wicklow on Wednesday.

Harrington won the Irish PGA in a play-off in 2007 and then claimed his first major in a play-off at Carnoustie the following week. Last season, he won the Irish PGA by four strokes and retained the Open by the same margin at Royal Birkdale eight days later.

The superstitious will be keeping an eye on scores from Brittas Bay as the Dubliner prepares to win the Claret Jug three years on the spin.

"I know Peter Thomson was the last man to do it and it is just rare that people win three in a row," Harrington said during his May visit. "But I think I am in with a great chance of doing it. I feel like my game will be ready and that’s all I can ask for. Going and winning it is, I won’t say secondary because that is the primary goal to win it. But the one that is in my control is to be ready for it and I do believe things are on track for the Open when it comes around. If I tee it up in the Open and I feel like I have done what I needed to do and got my game ready for the Open, I can ask no more of myself."

Considering his recent form, few will be betting on him. But his Lazarus like major wins - Carnoustie (72nd hole disaster), Birkdale (wrist injury) and Oakland Hills (hitting it sideways in the second round) - prove that he can overcome almost anything and win. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No.

Tiger tuned up for Turnberry tryst

Brian Keogh — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:59:19 PDT

Tiger Woods has set his sights on Padraig Harrington's Open crown and his 15th major win.

The world No 1 cruised impressively to his 68th PGA Tour triumph at Congressional on Sunday as pal Roger Federer claimed his 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.

Harrington and Woods want Turnberry title.Now Woods wants to get even with the Swiss tennis genius by denying Harrington a hat-trick of Open wins at Turnberry next week.

Set to hone his game with coach Hank Haney this week, Woods said: "Hopefully I can play like I did this week and continue to build next week. Hank is coming down, hopefully we'll do some good work and continue to build on what we're doing right now.

Just a matter of time for Lowry

Brian Keogh — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:59:18 PDT

Padraig Harrington and Damien McGrane believe it’s only a matter of time before Shane Lowry rediscovers his Irish Open magic.

Lowry is learning his trade.The Clara hero, 22, shocked the world when he won The 3 Irish Open as an amateur just seven weeks ago.

But after watching Lowry make the his first cut as a pro in last week’s French Open, the tour stars reckons it won’t be long before he’s a regular title contender.