PADRAIG HARRINGTON hit the practice range last night to prepare himself for what he expects to be a far stiffer test at The Masters today.
Gunning for a third successive major, Harrington was in joint 14th place after his opening 69 – one ahead of Tiger Woods, but four behind American Chad Campbell.
The Irishman came from five back to win The Open at Birkdale last July and from six b
ehind at halfway in the US PGA, so he knows it is still all to play for.
And he also knows a lot more will be demanded of the world's best players than it was yesterday when a tournament record 38 of them broke par.
"That was definitely one of the more generous days ever around Augusta and you've got to feel that it's going to get a little bit tougher as we go on," stated Harrington.
"The greens were reasonably receptive and the pins were generous in terms of good birdie positions.
"When you hear a lot of cheers around it makes you a little bit more anxious to be part of that and there's just a little more urgency to make sure you are making birdies, too.
"What gives me confidence is that I have a good idea how to get myself ready for tournaments and it seems to be working.
"It's going to be a long week and the whole idea is to be there with nine holes to go. So far, so good.
"I was expecting maybe tougher conditions going out but, in fairness, I think the greens are as quick this year as they have ever been.
"At some stage during the week I would expect to play a golf course that's really difficult because we are playing a major championship. You really expect to be tested right to the end of your limits."
Not surprisingly, leader Campbell admitted to having "a little bit of a sour taste" in his mouth after his seven-under-par 65. He bogeyed the last two holes and so led by only one overnight from Ryder Cup team-mates Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan.
Campbell, though, was far from alone in not enjoying dinner as much as he hoped he would.
England's Ross Fisher and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell did the same to drop from five under to three under alongside Harrington, while Woods' closing bogey had him signing for "only" a 70.
That might prove to be bad news for the rest, though. Three of the world No 1's four wins in the tournament have come after such a start – and the other came after a 74.
Pars at the 17th and 18th and Campbell would have equalled the lowest round ever in majors and matched the course record held by Nick Price and Greg Norman.
"I thought about 63 – it's hard not to and the fans did a good job of reminding me!" he said.
"I'm a little upset with the way I finished. You definitely never want to finish a round like that.
"I hooked it off 17 behind a tree and really didn't have a shot. On 18 I hit a great shot (from the fairway bunker) and then hit two pretty bad putts."
Woods was deep in the pack at level par after 12, then had three birdies in a row before going long with his approach to the last and playing a poor chip.
"I let a couple of shots slip away, but I was happy with how I hit the ball," he said.
"The guys were tearing the place apart and you could definitely go get it. It was reminiscent of how it used to be.
"I didn't make anything the first eight holes, but I hung in there and it's not like I haven't been in this position before – you've just got to stay patient."
Fisher and McDowell are both on their first visits to Augusta and fully aware that no rookie has won since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
Rory McIlroy was the Northern Ireland debutant with most eyes on him – in the final group of the day the 19-year-old shot 72 – and McDowell said: "I hit a couple of loose tee shots the last two holes and paid the price for them, but generally hit the ball well and into all the right places.
"I have got to be content with that opening round. It's a course I am just learning how to play.
"You know if you hit it in the wrong place you are in a lot of trouble, so it needs a lot of concentration and a lot of patience.
"Hopefully I have plenty of that to hang in there over the weekend."
Fisher stated: "I've been dreaming about playing in The Masters for such as a long time and it's an absolute pleasure to be out there.
"The finish was disappointing, but if you score 69 at Augusta National you're obviously doing something right.
"I'm going to cherish every moment this week, but at the same time I'm here to do a job and have come with a feeling that I have a chance of winning."
McIlroy does not believe his late tee-off time helped him.
"I think we were playing a different course to the guys in the morning as it got really crusty and tricky," he said. "In the end 72 is a pretty good day. I haven't shot myself out of it."
Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, ranked two and three in the world, managed only 73s, but Lee Westwood shot 70 and so did 54-year-old Greg Norman. Lone Scot Sandy Lyle had a fine 72.
FIRST ROUND SCORES (par 72):65: Chad Campbell
66: Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk
67: Larry Mize, Shingo Katayama (Jpn)
68: John Merrick, Todd Hamilton, Angel Cabrera (Arg), Aaron Baddeley (Aus), Kenny Perry, Sean O'Hair, Mike Weir (Can), Tim Clark (Rsa)
69: Graeme McDowell (NIrl), Ross Fisher (Eng), Andres Romero (Arg), Stewart Cink, Kevin Sutherland, Padraig Harrington (Irl)
70: Bernhard Langer (Ger), Nick Watney, Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Prayad Marksaeng (Tha), Greg Norman (Aus), Lee Westwood (Eng)
71: Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Adam Scott (Aus), Steve Flesch, Martin Kaymer (Ger), Geoff Ogilvy (Aus), Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa), Vijay Singh (Fij), Trevor Immelman (Rsa), Ken Duke, Ian Poulter (Eng), Henrik Stenson (Swe)
72: Steve Stricker, Dudley Hart, Soren Hansen (Den), Bubba Watson, Paul Casey (Eng), Dustin Johnson, Jack Newman, Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Sandy Lyle (Sco), Richard Sterne (Rsa), Stuart Appleby (Aus), D.J. Trahan
73: Oliver Wilson (Eng), Sergio Garcia (Spa), Ben Crenshaw, Ben Curtis, Robert Karlsson (Swe), Boo Weekley, Ryuji Imada (Jpn), Briny Baird, Y.E. Yang (Kor), Stephen Ames (Can), Rory Sabbatini (Rsa), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Fred Couples, Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn), Phil Mickelson, Robert Allenby (Aus), Camilo Villegas (Col), Luke Donald (Eng), Rocco Mediate
74: Danny Lee (Nzl), Mathew Goggin (Aus), Justin Rose (Eng), Tom Watson, Ian Woosnam (Wal)
75: Pat Perez, Retief Goosen (Rsa), Chez Reavie, Anthony Kim, Justin Leonard, Mark O'Meara, Ernie Els (Rsa), Reinier Saxton (Ned), Carl Pettersson (Swe)
76: Soren Kjeldsen (Den), K J Choi (Kor), Brandt Snedeker
77: Craig Stadler, Billy Mayfair, Wen-Tang Lin (Tai)
78: Drew Kittleson, Gary Player (Rsa), Alvaro Quiros (Spa)
79: Ray Floyd, Fuzzy Zoeller, Steve Wilson
80: Michael Campbell (Nzl)
