Hard work gets Harrington back into swing

Published on Friday 10 July 2009 22:54

WHEN Sandy Lyle was searching for a more reliable swing in the aftermath of becoming Masters champion in 1988, his compatriot Bernard Gallacher, the three-time European Ryder Cup captain, struck a note of devilment by posting the Scot a copy of Nick Faldo's latest instructional video.

Because his situation is hardly as unsettling, none of Padraig Harrington's fellow Irishmen have yet been mischievous enough to gift the Dubliner a copy of "Play Like Sergio Garcia". While Harrington can laugh at himself as readily as the next champion, there's not much frivolity attached to missing five consecutive cuts on Tour, especially when you're trying to emulate Peter Thomson and collect a third consecutive Open title at Turnberry.

According to Bob Torrance, Harrington got his groove back at Turnberry last week and a return to the straight and narrow at the Irish PGA championship over the European Club this week has undoubtedly boosted the golfer's confidence.

That said, Bob Rotella, the sports psychologist who, along with swing coach Torrance, is part of the 'Two Bobs' backroom team which guided Harrington to major success at two Opens and the US PGA, admits the Irishman's desire to improve is a double-edged sword.

"You know he has that analytical tendency which is part of his strength and also part of his weakness," observed the American. "And every once in a while it's going to get him. I told him, 'Padraig, it's going to happen to you every so often and you now realise it's not a switch you can just turn on and off.' "

Since the search for improvement is a natural instinct in any champion, there's little point in dwelling on why Harrington felt he needed to change anything in his swing after winning consecutive majors a year ago. As Tiger Woods has confessed, he too, chose to alter his swing after winning the Masters by a dozen strokes.

"Obviously some people are commenting and some are trying to avoid the subject," Harrington reflected when asked if he was aware of the almost ghoulish interest in what has gone wrong with his game. "But people who are close to me I'll talk to, whether it be Ronan (Flood, his caddie] or Bob Rotella. Essentially I did make a change in my swing at the start of the year.

"I've been trying to do it for two and a half years, to be honest, at different times. Now, I'm not focused on it, because I've got to the bottom of what it was and how to correct it. I'm a great believer that once you know what you want to do, it will slowly develop into your game.

"At the moment, I do need to fix something. There's no doubt about that. I think that we have it spot-on. Bob Torrance (came] over and I've been doing a good bit more work on it. But definitely I'm looking to fix something that will work better with what I changed. What I'm trying to say is the thing I'm trying to change is totally at the back of my mind. It's something that's now kind of put away till next winter and I'm back to checking on things that maybe I've covered in the past. And now I just need to fix a little bit of my backswing in order to be in a better position to benefit from what I changed during (last] winter."

Since it often never rains but it pours for most golfers, Harrington's expert touch with the putter inevitably deserted him at the French Open last week as another disappointing performance began to take a toll on morale. He headed straight for Turnberry and two days of intensive practice with Torrance seemed to do the trick.

"There's no doubt (results] could impinge on my performance at Turnberry," Harrington acknowledged. "My confidence in myself has not taken a hammering at all. I'm still very upbeat and very focused on what I'm doing and very positive and optimistic. But yes, my confidence on the golf course, when I'm out there playing, has not been the best, because of my recent results.

"But when I'm off the golf course , I'm in good spirits and ensuring that I do everything that I can to prepare in the best possible way. But, definitely, on the golf course, I can do with some positive results and feedback. It would give me a little bit of a boost when I'm out there, and there's no question that form can go like that; when results are happening for you, good things happen for you, and when they're going against you, you seem to find a way of making the worst of the situation.

"On the course, my attitude has been good, and I'm very careful to work on that. There's no point in compounding errors. Obviously I could now do with some concrete results. Over the years, I've made very sure to focus on process rather than results, but when you have a lean span of results over a period of time, you definitely get a little bit more conscious of the results."

Just as Harrington's build-up to last year's Open at Birkdale was dominated by an injury, the pressure on the Irishman to match Thomson's feat next week seems diffused because his form is so patchy. "Yes, the history of three in a row, I think it would be very special for it to happen," he replied. " But again, I am realistic about these things and am looking at it in an overall context. The idea that it has to be the next one is not how I go about things. If I compete in the next five Opens, I'll try to get myself right in there, and win two of them, it doesn't have to be this year. I'd rather win two over (the next] five years than one this year for the three (in a row]."

Perhaps more at ease in the pressure cooker of majors than he is in regular events where everyone shoots out the lights, Harrington says it's the difference between a sprint and a marathon. Whether the Ailsa will suit him as well as Carnoustie and Birkdale, though, remains to be seen. Which is why he'd like a wee breeze in Ayrshire.

"If you can stay out of the bunkers on the front nine you can get a good score going," he reckons.

"Assuming the weather is good I think it's a golf course that most players would like.

"There's a number of doglegs and you're going to have to be able to move the ball into the wind at times, because that wind will be across those doglegs. I think the ability to shape the ball and hit the ball straight off the tee will be a big thing. If you hit those bunkers, you are looking at penalties as those bunkers are severe.

"You know, the two (Opens] I've won are probably on two of the toughest courses on the links rota. I don't think it (Turnberry] would be considered as tough as those two. So while it suits me being a links, I wouldn't look forward to a shootout, that's for sure. I'd prefer a tough test.

"So I am hoping for some wind and conditions that would be conducive to patience and good mental thinking throughout the week.

"I was always brought up with the theory that on a bad day, 50 per cent of the players want to be there, but maybe only half are capable of competing in those weather condition, so you're only competing against a quarter of the field. The tougher the conditions, the more I'm looking forward to the event."