PADRAIG HARRINGTON IS hoping to banish the demons of four winless years on Sunday after opening up a commanding five-shot lead at the Indonesia Open before the third round was abandoned due to bad weather.
The Irishman was 13 holes into his round before play was called off for the day in north Jakarta.
He will resume on Sunday morning – with 23 holes of the tournament still to play – on 16-under par and with a healthy lead over nearest challenger Australian Nathan Holman.
Harrington, who has slumped to 385th in the world rankings, recorded four birdies during his truncated third round to pull clear of overnight leader Thanyakon Khrongpha.
Although he won the 2012 Grand Slam of Golf, Harrington has not tasted success in a full-field tournament since the 2010 Johor Open. Unsurprisingly, the 43-year-old Dubliner is not taking anything for granted, particularly because the weather could still play a part.
“It is always difficult when you have the lead. You are a little bit cautious and it is something which I have to deal with,” he said.
“The last thing I want to do is go out there and be negative because that gives the rest of the field a chance. It is an awkward position to be in. It is never easy to lead. It is always easy to chase.”
Harrington’s slump in form has shown no sign of subsiding in recent weeks. He failed to make the cut in two out of his last four PGA events but a win at the $750,000 Asian Tour event this weekend would be a major step in the right direction.
Elsewhere, Graeme McDowell carded a one-over par 73 at the Hero World Challenge in Windermere but remains eight shots behind leader Jordan Spieth.
