Harrington wants win for the ages
IT’S the major for the ancients, if not quite yet the soiled. The Open lends itself more to Old Tom than Young Tom, and the recent trend of winners bears that out.
Mark O’Meara was 40 when he won here in ’98, Darren Clarke (2011) and Ernie Els (2012) were 42, a year younger than Phil Mickelson (2013).
Tom Watson was one bounce away from winning a sixth Open in his 60th year, while Greg Norman was 53 when he teed off in the final group on Sunday in ’08.
As for the current champion golfer, Henrik Stenson, he’s 41.
It’s why Pádraig Harrington, a month shy of his 46th birthday, has every reason to believe he’s a credible contender for glory at the 146th Open.
Should he win, Harrington would follow Old Tom as the second oldest winner in history, and the fourth oldest of any major champion.
So how come these Open greybeards are holding off the muscular young guns, who smash the ball out of sight?
‘Clearly because an Open Championship can be played by a shorter hitter. And by suggestion, as you get older, you get shorter relative to the field,’ he observed yesterday.
‘A guy hitting the right ball flight will hit it further into the wind — 160mph efficient ball flight is going to go further than 180mph inefficient. That’s why an older guy can compete with the younger guys.’
‘Plus, there is the experience factor. A lot of the younger guys are physically gifted, but they don’t have the experience with links golf.
‘Assuming decent, tough enough conditions, it’s a tournament for experience. Everybody can compete, short and long hitters. It’s not one-dimensional.’
Nine years ago, when he was a relative cub at 36, Harrington hardly touched a club before his defence of The Open as he fretted over a wrist injury, yet won by four strokes.
‘I got lucky in 2008,’ he recalled yesterday. ‘I came into the tournament and was injured. And it just took a lot of the expectations off.
‘I was able to do all the stuff that you have to do as defending champion and have time to do it. So, because I wasn’t playing practice rounds that week, I freed up a lot more time, there was a lot less stress.
‘The week turned out to be gruelling and tough and I played the least amount of golf. So, I probably was the freshest guy on the course by Thursday and certainly the freshest come Sunday.’
No surprise then, that he’s taking it easy at Birkdale again this week as he seeks to stay ‘fresh’ through untill Sunday afternoon.
‘Why should I practise?’ he quipped. ‘I have a few things to do this week and try and manage my way around so that I’ve the minimum stress, and the minimum amount of work.’
After neck surgery and a split elbow, Harrington has played less golf than he expected to this year, yet he has also played better.
In his last three events, he has carded eight rounds in the 60s and only once been over par, last Saturday in the Scottish Open where he bounced back from a 79 with a closing 66 and won over €223,000.
‘I played 21 rounds of competitive golf in seven months, from November to the Travelers Championship in June. So, yeah, I wasn’t sure where it [my game] would be.
‘I needed to get on the golf course just to play. I knew my attitude was good. So, yes, I am ahead of it [where he thought he would be after such a lay-off].
‘I was confident that with a few rounds under my belt, I’d be back to where I need to be. I’ve come in better form. I’m playing decent golf and trying to contend.’
It’s nine years since Harrington won The Open but that is no handicap as Els won his second claret jug ten years after his first, while Gary Player had a nine-year gap between triumphs.
Because when it comes to The Open, these wizard wrinklies are in a league of their own.