PADRAIG HARRINGTON has ended an extraordinary month by gaining an exemption into the British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes on July 18th-21st. It came as a result of a sparkling final round of 68 which gave him a share of 13th place and prize money of £13,872 in his first PGA Championship.
Coming only 10 days after a wretched 13 had knocked him out of the Benson and Hedges International at The Oxfordshire, Harrington's performance reflected admirable competitive instincts, quite apart from golfing skill. His place at Lytham was one of five exemptions which went last night to the leading five players in the top 20 of the Order of Merit, not otherwise exempt.
"I'm very, very happy," said the 24 year old who, only two weeks ago, was being toasted as the newly crowned Spanish Open champion. "Though it will be my first time in the British Open, the course will be familiar to me from playing in the Lytham Trophy on a number of times. Everything has worked out very nicely."
His score, the best by an Irish player on the final day, was his first sub 70 round on the West Course. And he did it in style, with a lively homeward journey of 33 - four under par. The round contained six birdies, the first two of which came at the long fourth, which he reached with a six iron downwind, and the sixth, where he wedged to five feet.
Torrential rain affected his routine at the eighth, where he was in a greenside trap, and he carded another bogey at the 450 yard ninth, which was almost out of reach into the wind. But Harrington went on to chip dead for a birdie at the long 12th and sank an eight footer for another birdie at the next.
After that, beautiful wedge play with a club borrowed from John McHenry yielded pitch and putt saves at the next two. Another pitch, to five feet, brought a birdie at the long 17th and a six iron second shot onto the long 18th, downwind, brought a closing, two putt four. It also meant that he had birdied all of the par fives.
Harrington is taking a week off, but, typically, he will be spending much of that free time on the practice ground. Eamonn Darcy, is also taking a week's break, which will allow him time to cool off after a heated finale to his Wentworth challenge. Though he got to eight under par for the championship on two occasions in a round of 72, he finished disappointingly, tying with Harrington on 282 for the same prize money.
In fact, his play of the 17th and 18th cost Darcy about £3,000. A blocked drive into an unplayable lie in trees led to a bogey six at the 17th. And he had to settle for a par at the last where his second shot ended in the bunker to the front left of the green, from where he failed to get up and down.
All of which left the 43 year old so angry that he evaded would be inquisitors by climbing over railings at the rear of the recorder's hut. It made for a rather ungainly departure for a player of his standing in the game.
Paul McGinley goes from here to Hamburg for the Deutsche Bank Open, starting on Thursday. Despite a disappointing closing round of 74, the relief of making his first cut in four events has given him the confidence to look towards brighter times ahead. He had an aggregate of 285 for a share of 37th place and £7,100.
Though McGinley was third best of the Irish overall, his final round should have been considerably better, given that he had an eagle three at the long 12th, where he hit a three wood to 15 feet and sank the putt. A series of poor long iron shots, however, caused him problems over the finishing holes. He had bogeys at the 13th, 14th and 16th and was forced to settle for a par at the last where he blocked a two iron second behind a tree.
He will be joined in Germany by Philip Walton, who also had a rather tame finish of level par 72 for an aggregate of 287. This gave him a share of 46th place for £4,900. Putting was again a problem, but he finished the round" with two birdies, both the product of accurate wedge, play.
David Feherty, tied 41st for £6,200, flew home to Dallas this morning, but he returns to Europe for five tournaments in a row, starting with the BMW International on June 20th. Yesterday's 71 included an eagle three at the long fourth, where he chipped into the hole from 25 feet. But there was also a miserable, bogey finish, the product of three putts from 20 feet on the 18th.
Christy O'Connor Jnr will not be in action this week. But a final round of 70, completed by two birdies, has left him in buoyant mood for a return to action in next week's English Open at The Forest of Arden, where Walton will be defending the title. He was tied 54th for £3,800, while Raymond Burns was tied 60th for £2,750.
Ireland will have nine challengers in the Deutsche Bank Open - Ronan Rafferty, Des Smyth, O'Connor, Walton, Darren Clarke, McGinley, Raymond Burns, Francis Howley and McHenry. David Higgins, currently fourth reserve, is also likely to get into the field.
