Padraig: You made an odd for your own back tipsters
Harrington upsets bookies with 68
PADRAIG HARRINGTON took pleasure in giving the bookies a bashing after defying “strange” odds to star at the Irish Open.
The Irishman hasn’t won since 2016 but an eagle, three birdies and a solitary bogey at Ballyliffin left him one off Kiwi Ryan Fox at the top of the leaderboard.
Harrington’s four- under 68 was matched by six others – including English duo Lee Westwood and Danny Willett – while tournament host Rory McIlroy carded a 70.
Three-time Major winner Harrington has missed the cut in seven of his 13 events this year and was rated a 66-1 chance – or higher – at the start of the week to win his second home Open.
The 46-year-old said: “There’s not often there’s value in my game. The bookies in Ireland would make sure they cut you to a low price knowing that sentimentally people would back you.
“The bookies don’t normally get it wrong but to put me out there at 66-1 on a links golf course in my home country was strange on their part.
“My performances always go up a level or two when it comes to a links course. Maybe they factored that in and that says I’m even worse than I thought!”
Although now ranked a lowly 268th in the world, Harrington wound the clock back to his 2007 success in front of the home fans – two months before winning The Open at Carnoustie – with a chip-in eagle at the 17th.
Fox similarly carded just one bogey and finished with a monster putt for his
sixth birdie as he chases a spot at The Open in a fortnight.
McIlroy looked set to enjoy a flying start to his first round after hitting a superb approach to the par-five fourth.
But the world No.8 missed an eagle chance from eight feet and having tapped in for birdie then gave the shot back with a bogey at the seventh.
The Northern Irishman said: “It could have been a lot better. It’s the best I hit the ball in a long time – I just struggled on the greens.
“It was either I hit good putts and just didn’t read them right or sometimes it was maybe a reaction of putts I had hit previously on a couple holes earlier.
“I would love to be able to say I’m saving them for a couple of weeks’ time but I’ve got to take the positives.”
Defending champ Jon Rahm carded back-to-back double bogeys around the turn as the Spaniard struggled to a 74.
Playing partner Graeme McDowell – who skipped an Open qualifier this week after his clubs were lost in transit from Paris to Manchester – birdied three of his last six holes to finish one under.
He said: “It was one of those days that could have got away from me so I was happy to keep it under control and post something half decent.”
Scotland’s Scott Jamieson posted three birdies in his first four holes for a three-under 69 while Richie Ramsay and Marc Warren are one further back and Russell Knox is two.