US PGA Diary: ‘It’s like putting in Stackstown,’ says Harrington

He’s not exactly the same vintage just yet as Vijay Singh or John Daly, who have the age card to ply their trades on the seniors circuit, but there wasn’t any feeling that he, as the younger of the trio, had put them in their place.

Far from it, in fact, as Pádraig Harrington – fully focused on his own game – bemoaned his incapacity to make the most of good play tee-to-green until it came to the task of putting the ball in the hole with putter in hand.

“I didn’t putt very well at all, I need to free up a bit on the green. There’s a massive slope, they’re reasonably quick and they’re poa annua . . . it’s like putting in Stackstown,” said Harrington, who opened with a 71.

Harrington’s play deserved better; especially so in the case of his 7-iron tee shot on the iconic Par 3 fourth, where he contrived to run up a double bogey. “It was a five from nowhere . . . it was the right club but it needed to be hit and I just caught it a bit heavy. It looked like it was going to get up, it was straight down the pin, one of those that on a good day it would be stone dead and i would be saying I hit a great 7 iron.”

At least he hadn’t shot himself in the foot, he was told. “It feels that way,” he replied.

Slick Rick personifying cool

Rickie Fowler is very much on the radar, and he knows it.

With his snapback precisely positioned on his head, the American – world ranked seventh, which makes him the highest in the official rankings without a Major title to his name – looked as cool as a cucumber in the suffocating heat in compiling an opening 68.

“You never want to go out the first round and put yourself behind the eight ball. Obviously you can’t win. I mean, it’s said a lot you can’t win a tournament on Thursday but you can lose it. You can take yourself out of the tournament and make it tough to make a cut or be around to keep going.”

PB&J the secret for Geiberger

The modern day pros – conscious of the need to keep up their energy levels - are rather spoilt with their protein energy bars, Wyldsson nutrition mixes and what have you. Which makes the recollection of Al Geiberger’s pick-me-up on his way to victory in the 1966 US PGA.

Geiberger – nicknamed “The Thin Man” for his height and slight physique - didn’t much go in for the hot dogs which were the staple for players during tournaments back then and asked his wife to make up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which he munched his way through during tournament play.

Look through your eyes, not your cameras

It’s not exactly zero tolerance when it comes to spectators infringing the restrictions on raising their smartphones to capture images of players during the tournament . . . but anyone caught twice will pay the price of being asked to leave the premises!

One unfortunate spectator who raised his camera as Jason Day prepared to hit from the 17th tee was duly summoned to attention by an eagle-eyed member of the mobile phone enforcement "police".

“This is a warning,” said the marshal, scribbling a big red “W” on the reserve side of the spectator’s ticket. “You’re not allowed to take any photos when they’re on the tee or near the ball.”

The smartphone was quickly put away.

By the numbers

459/0: Rory McIlroy’s huge drive down the first was recorded at 459 yards but it failed to inspire a birdie on the Par 4, which was his 10th hole. In fact, McIlroy went through the entire round without managing a single birdie.

Quote of the day

“It’s just been real stale and stagnant; it’s just ebbs and flows of golf” – Jimmy Walker on his form this season. The American bounced out of his mediocrity with an opening 65.