PADRAIG HARRINGTON IS happy that the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart is the perfect place to do his homework.
The 2007 and 2008 Open champion is bidding to complete a famous hat-trick of Claret Jugs when he tees off next week in the 156-man field at Muirfield.
The world’s best all share a common goal at the season’s third Major but when it comes to fine-tuning their game for the links challenge, everybody has their own way.
Graeme McDowell made headlines when he skipped this week’s trip to Inverness because he felt that Castle Stuart was not “a strong enough course.” McDowell instead played at — and won — the French Open last week but still came under fire for his comments.
Although his golfing past is rooted in links courses, Harrington feels there’s no better preparation in the week before the Open.
“I wouldn’t be here unless it was on a links golf course,” he said yesterday. “There’s no doubt, as much as I grew up playing links golf as a kid, you do need to re‑familiarise yourself with it.”
A similar approach has worked for Harrington in the past. In the run up to the Dubliner’s first Major, the 2007 Open at Carnoustie, he warmed up on a links course and still recalls how the lessons he learned were the difference between winning and losing his play-off against Sergio Garcia.
“Even though I know how to play the shots and what shots are to be played, you’ve got to trust it, and the more you’re going to play links golf and the more you play that under a competitive situation.
I’ll give you an example: I played links golf the week before I won my first Open of the two Opens, 2007 at Carnoustie. It was cool and I remember hitting a seven‑iron in the week before and in cold weather I think it went 149 yards.In the first hole of the playoff, as I stood in the fairway, an awful big rain cloud really came in and dropped the temperature down. If you see, Sergio under‑clubbed by at least a club if not more, and I actually took a club more and still hit it hard to get it to pin‑high. I wouldn’t have known that if I had not seen similar conditions the week before. And not only did I recognise it, I trusted it.
“Even though I grew up as a kid for years learning these things, you kind of need reminders.”
He adds: “Last week I was thinking about the Open, but from now until Sunday evening, hopefully the only thing on my mind is the Scottish Open. The only reason it will change to the Open is if I feel like I can’t win this week.”
