Leading Specialists for Golf in Ireland

July 2009

THE siren call of history will sound for Padraig Harrington this afternoon when he steps on the first tee at Turnberry. It really doesn't matter how well or how poorly Ireland's three-times Major champion has played in a season of baffling swing changes, missed cuts and intense frustration. Or that Harrington himself plays down the personal significance of this week's date with destiny. In bidding to become the first man to complete a hat-trick of British Open titles since Australian Peter Thomson in 1956, Harrington joins an elite band of brothers in world golf.

We Irish dared think, as Harrington won back-to-back at Royal Birkdale and Oakland Hills last summer, that he might throw down the gauntlet to Tiger. For a variety of reasons, it hasn't happened this year. So Woods, with three wins on the PGA Tour since his return from injury in February, is likely to parade around unchallenged if he produces a performance as strategically inspired and tactically brilliant as at Hoylake in 2006, the most recent of his three British Open victories.

The first rule of survival at Turnberry this week is to consistently find the fairway and it's not going to matter how well Harrington is putting right now or how inspired his short game might be if he has to go looking for his tee shots in the long grass. However, it is fanciful to expect a man who has missed eight cuts in 15 events on Tour this year to rediscover the magic formula in one of the most exacting arenas of them all. Fingers crossed though for Harrington to hang onto the Claret Jug, it promises to be an exciting weekend for all involved.

Predictions for the 2009 Title
1 Tiger Woods
2 Sergio Garcia
3 Graeme McDowell
4 Hunter Mahan
5 Padraig Harrington

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