Padraig Harrington can show he’s back to best

Published on 21/06/2012 00:00

Padraig Harrington has another chance this week to show he really is coming back to his best.

After finishing eighth at The Masters in April, Ireland’s three-times major champion was fourth at the US Open on Sunday –– a birdie at the last would have put him in a play-off with Webb Simpson.

Both are now at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut where, for the first two rounds, Simpson joins Keegan Bradley and Bubba Watson, current holders of the USPGA and Masters titles. Harrington is with fellow Open champions Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Leonard.

“It was a case of so near, but yet so far,” said the 40-year-old Dubliner.

“It was my best finish of the year so far, but I am coming away from San Francisco knowing that I could so easily have got to the winning score.”

Despite having played five of the last six weeks, Harrington also has the Irish and Scottish Opens before the next major. That will make it nine tournaments in 11 weeks.

He hopes it will be a run that also brings him back into the Ryder Cup reckoning. He is down at 23rd on the table and captain Jose Maria Olazabal has gone for only two wildcards.