AWAY from the hullabaloo of a crowded practice range at Wentworth, Padraig Harrington had the Ailsa course virtually to himself yesterday as he visited Turnberry to crank up his preparations for a bid to become the first player to record a hat-trick of Open Championship wins in more than 50 years.
While the Irishman insists he'll play in the BMW PGA Championship next year once greens he dislikes have been re-modelled, Harrington reckoned a first-ever look at the Ayrshire course would, at the moment at least, be much more beneficial as far as
one of his primary 2009 missions was concerned.
Australian Peter Thomson was the last golfer to lift the Claret Jug three years running (1954-56) and, as always, the meticulous Harrington will leave no stone unturned as he bids to earn membership of an exclusive club. Old Tom Morris (1867-72), Jamie Anderson (1877-79) and Bob Ferguson (1880-82) are the only others to have pulled it off in the event's 149-year history.
That means the world No8 will, once again, be an absentee at the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, opting instead for links practice when he defends the Irish PGA Championship at The European Club in Co Wicklow.
Harrington was still an amateur – unlike Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, he never played in a professional event at that stage of his career – when Turnberry last staged the Open in 1994 and made his debut in the world's oldest major two years later at Royal Lytham & St Anne's. "It is interesting that I've never been here before," said Harrington during a visit that was organised by Wilson Staff, the brand he's stayed loyal to since becoming a multiple major winner despite reports of big-money offers from some of the other equipment manufacturers.
"It is actually pretty close to my house as Dublin isn't far away from here but, besides the Open, there is nothing else on the rota here, so I've had to wait for my turn to play at Turnberry. From watching it on TV and hearing what other people have had to say, I knew it was a great course and, from even just looking at a few holes, I really like what I see, so I'm looking forward to coming back in July to defend my Open Championship."
According to Harrington, it took only a few minutes to convince him of the value of such a reconnaissance trip, the 37-year-old realising that he'll need to work on specific shots that, perhaps, weren't necessary as he won the event at Carnoustie in 2007 and, 12 months later, at Royal Birkdale.
"It is nice to come and play the golf course a bit low key and have a look at it," he added. "I played one or two shots out there that come up a lot on this golf course and I will work on those over the next two months so that I am ready when it comes around to the Open. For instance, there are a number of elevated greens out there, so you are going to have a lot of chip and runs from rough across fairway on to the green.
"If I had not looked at the course, I would probably have been practising my chip and runs at home from tight lies but, in actual fact, it looks as though we'll be playing those from soft, fluffy rough.
"Also, some of the greens have three to four-feet drop offs and that's something I'll also be practising, either chipping over those or running them up. Just being here five minutes has shown me some different shots to practise coming into the tournament."
Since the R&A held its annual media day in mid-April, there are now signs of progress with work to the Turnberry Hotel, which is no longer covered in scaffolding. The spectator grandstands are going up and the course itself looks a lot different following recent rain.
"It is actually looking a bit green and I'm sure they'll be hoping it's a bit more rugged by the time the championship comes around," said Harrington, who is not paying too much attention to the fact he performed poorly over a links course when missing the cut in last week's Irish Open at Baltray.
"As much as I should know what I'm doing when I go back to play links golf, it was hard work for me last week due to the fact I had just come off a run of playing parkland golf," he said. "That's why it is so important that I play a links course the week before the Open. The Irish PGA has been ideal for that over the past two years, so my preparations will be the same again.
"I am well aware that Peter Thomson was the last man to do it (win three consecutive Opens], but I feel I'll be in with a great chance because I have control over my own preparation and, if I get that right, then I can be in contention. From there, I know I can go on and win it."
Asked how his life had changed on the back of three major wins in such a short space of time, Harrington, who is no stranger to Ayrshire, having often stayed with Bob Torrance in Largs during trips to see his coach at Inverclyde, told a story from a visit to a service station on the M25 on Tuesday.
"I was wearing a shirt and tie and didn't look like a golfer but there were a lot of heads turning," he said. "There were a lot of double takes and I could hear people saying 'is it him?'
"It was one of those moments that brings it home to you and I'm sure they were asking themselves why I was in services on the M25. But, yes, professional golfers who've won three majors have to go to the toilet as well!"
Inevitably, Harrington, who has just has been named by his fellow professionals as the inaugural winner of the European Tour players' player of the year award for 2008, was asked about his decision to skip this week's BMW PGA Championship, the Tour's flagship event.
"I would love to be there as I think Wentworth is one of the best courses in Europe, but even if I played well there I might finish in the top ten at best," he said.
"I felt totally inadequate there one year when I thought I'd done quite well to shoot four-over for two rounds and Anders Hansen ended up winning with 19 under. I believe they are going to re-model greens and, when that happens, I will be one of the first there. I want to win that tournament, no doubt about it. If I play it in the next ten years, hopefully I'll have a chance to win one at least.
"But, as things stand at the moment, I don't want to go there and beat myself up."
The full article contains 1189 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
