Going into the Masters after missing out on an invitation last year as his five-year exemption as a major winner had run out, Padraig Harrington joked that all of his family had asked to come along this year for the first time having passed up the opportunity to do so on all the previous occasions.
If that was an acknowledgment from his nearest and dearest that it might be one of the last times for him at Augusta and things may be winding down after 13 consecutive appearances there and a spell of applying for wild cards and sponsors’ invites into PGA Tour events, the Irishman is undergoing a real resurgence right now and Sunday’s seven-under-par 65 has put him into position to land an improbable third Open title and fourth major of his career.
Harrington lost his tour card last year, although he won the Indonesian Open on the Asian Tour last December and needed another one of those sponsors’ exemptions to get into the Honda Classic in March and won it in a play-off, his first victory on one of the main tours since he secured his third major, the US PGA in August 2008. He was finally back into the big league.
The 43-year-old Irishman has basically got the same swing that won him so much in the golden years and he will be right back in contention when he tees up on Monday at 10 under with the Australian Marc Leishman, on nine under after a best-of-the-day 64, and two shots off the leaders.
“I always wanted to shoot 65 on the Sunday of an Open, though obviously there’s another round tomorrow,” said Harrington, who teed off in a heavy downpour, the only poor weather of the day. “We had real tough conditions for our first five, six holes. Actually even the first 10, 11 holes it was quite windy, so to at least make a few birdies in that was very important for me. I could have blown myself out of the Open right there.”
Harrington, who won the first of his Open titles at Carnoustie in 2007 in foul weather and is more than capable of handling himself in adverse conditions, got to the turn with four birdies and added three more on the way back, the last of them at the 16th which finally put his name at the top of an Open leaderboard for the first time in years.
“I was really good all the way through and there was no need to look at a leaderboard,” he said. “I wasn’t looking to look up there and be motivated. I didn’t want to look up there and see somebody getting away and be disappointed. When things are going well you might as well just keep your head down and keep going.”
If staying in the moment was Harrington’s intention, it crossed his mind on the 18th tee to take off his pullover as he warmed up in the improving weather but decided against it as it would perhaps send out the wrong signal to the galleries. “Obviously you don’t ever take off your sweater on the 18th tee unless you’re going to drive it through the back of the green.” Instead he played safe and finished with a par.
As for his strategy during the final round, Harrington, who is noted for his work with the psychologist Dr Bob Rotella and has also listened to suggestions from Dr Steve Peters, has got it planned out already.
“I’ll be certainly telling myself that I know what I’m doing and I’ve done it before, and I’d be using it to help myself, for sure, having done it twice before,” he said. “It’s good, positive feedback and I’ll be telling myself as I’m coming home tomorrow that’s the case. If you’re playing well and holing putts, you’re going to feel comfortable anyway coming down the stretch. I’d rather be that guy than the guy that’s won two or three of these six, seven years ago.”
And as for the turning point in the year and perhaps his career, he said: “Honda was a really good week for me. I’ve maybe struggled to emulate that every other week but from Honda, sort of, this has come out this week and I’m certainly seeing some really nice things in it. All day I felt really comfortable. Really nice and comfortable.”
And for those seeking omens, Harrington won that one on a Monday.
