RYDER CUP: It was always going to be asking a lot of Pádraig Harrington to follow back-to-back major wins with a starring role in the Ryder Cup.
But it was still a shock to see the British Open and US PGA champion going through a second successive match without winning a game.
He was in good company this time, though. Half the team, including Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and wild card Paul Casey, failed to record a win.
Like at The K Club two years ago, Harrington's return was just one half-point, this time from four games rather than five because captain Nick Faldo left him out of the second day fourballs.
Faldo noted that the Dubliner fell asleep four times on the flight over to America and as soon as he sat down for last night's post-match press conference he started yawning.
Asked if he was tired in between Harrington said: "I know I'm fatigued in many ways and struggling at times.
"I actually started off the week playing quite nicely and practising got worse every day.
"There's no question in my singles that the minute the overall match was over (put out last, he was on the 14th at the time) any bit of spark that was in my game was just gone.
"The energy levels just dropped.
"I can't wait for the end of the season personally. I'm definitely tired.
"I worked hard during the week. I didn't play very well, but I worked really hard and I gave it 100 per cent.
"I certainly needed the sort of pressure that is in a Ryder Cup to keep me focused. My game just wasn't there and it's probably because of a long, hard summer.
"It's six weeks since I've practised as I would normally and my preparation was not superb.
"I'll blame that, but I couldn't do anything about it. Such is life and while I'm disappointed I'm not going to beat myself up and be gutted about it."
Harrington has five events left in 2008, starting with next week's Dunhill Links in Scotland, which he has won twice.
"It's an event I like, but I will not be ready for it. The Volvo Masters (at Valderrama the last week in October) I should be."
He hopes to regain the European Order of Merit crown there, but he describes the Grand Slam in Bermuda in three weeks' time as "a two-day jolly" and from Spain he will go to China and Singapore before calling a halt for the year.
