PADRAIG HARRINGTON OPEN MIND

PADRAIG HARRINGTON'S rough ride through 2009 has forced the Open champ back to basics.

Driven by a desire for constant improvement, the Irishman, 37, rebuilt his swing after his victory over Greg Norman and Ian Poulter at Royal Birkdale and a dramatic duel with Sergio Garcia to win the USPGA title.

The tinkering stopped a couple of months ago but the worst slump of his career did not - a missed cut at the French Open nine days ago was his FIFTH in a row.

Harrington will attempt to emulate Australian Peter Thomson - the only player since 1882 to win golf's oldest championship three years in a row - when the world's best golfers tee off on Thursday at Turnberry.

While some of the leading contenders honed their game yesterday in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, he was competing against club pros and European Tour wannabes in the Irish PGA Championship at The European Club.

But Harrington has not lost his sense of timing - he won, just as he did before his triumphs at Carnoustie in 2007 and at Birkdale 12 months later.

He said: "Someone close to me was at my house recently and my son, Ciaran, had run into the rough on the golf course outside.

"Somebody else said, 'Oh, where is Ciaran?' and this person made the comment, 'Oh, he's like his dad - he's in the rough!Now the person was a non-golfer but she had obviously heard about all of my recent ordeals.

"I've had people coming up to me and wishing me well and other people giving me advice and making different suggestions. But if people didn't realise I have been playing badly for the last six months, it would mean that I wasn't in the limelight.

"So despite everything, I'm better off in the situation I'm in now, though I have to work a little bit harder not to let it affect my confidence or my thinking."

As for The Open, he added: "I'm just looking forward to competing in Majors and I feel like I will win more, no question."

This article has 0 comments