Harrington slumps after American high
After the high of grabbing another victory in America on Sunday Padraig Harrington sank to his worst round in Europe for seven years today.
Harrington’s seven-over-par 79 in the first round of the Smurfit European Open at the K Club – the venue for next September’s Ryder Cup – left him 13 adrift of South African leader Trevor Immelman.
The Dubliner was not alone in suffering a reaction to winning, however, as new US Open champion Michael Campbell returned to action with a 74.
“It was a day for fighting and I had no fight in me,” said Harrington, who followed his dramatic closing eagle putt of 65ft 7in at the Barclays Classic in New York by three-putting five of his first 12 greens.
“I can’t ever remember having that many. I was mentally drained and I couldn’t see the ball going in from one foot.”
The world number eight was almost ready for it, though. But for being on Irish soil he almost certainly would not have played this week and he added: “I knew I had not prepared at all.
“There was zero preparation. Probably in two days I hit 50 balls on the range and had no focus. The problem was winning last week and that’s why I’m not going to get down about it.”
Harrington also felt his afternoon tee-off time magnified the situation. “The greens were very bumpy with heelprints and when you get the bad end of the draw you get exposed.”
Campbell said after his round: “I just wasn’t there, to be honest. My mind was flashing back to what happened two weeks ago and I just wasn’t on the job.
“The crowd was great – continuous congratulation for winning the US Open. It’s a bit of an anti-climax, I suppose, going from winning a major championship to here.
“I didn’t really know what to expect. I thought I’d be pretty ready and I wasn’t.
“It’s an experience I haven’t had before and one I’m not used to. Hopefully over the next three days I can shoot low and be in contention again, but right now I just want to go home and put my feet up.
“I’ve learned from it and hopefully I can cope better next time.” Two of his bogeys came on par fives, the 16th and 18th.
Immelman was paired with compatriot and defending champion Retief Goosen, the man who let in Campbell at Pinehurst with a last-day 81 after being three clear.
The two of them both shone, Goosen’s five-under-par 67 leaving him just one behind.
Three birdies in the first four holes and then a 35-foot eagle putt on his ninth were certainly a quick response to what happened in North Carolina.
But the world number five, who went into the last round at Pinehurst three clear and collapsed to 11th, then stalled a bit with nine successive pars while Immelman packed his seven birdies in his last 13 holes.
It was on the K Club’s other lay-out that Goosen triumphed by five last year and he commented: “I think driving is a lot more important around this one. The thick rough makes it more difficult and on the other one the greens are a lot better.”
His putting was what let him down in America and he added: “I tried a new one today. Pretty much an exact copy, but maybe just a bit different feel.
“I hit a lot of good putts, but my iron play wasn’t all that good on the front nine and my putts were really too far away to make anything.
Immelman turned round a day he thought had got off to the worst possible start when he hooked his opening drive towards the out of bounds.
“I was probably lucky,” he said. “I was about to hit a provisional when the guys (marshals) came running out of the trees to tell me they had found it.”
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