STILL FLYING HIGH
Harrington in the mix as he stays on Wood’s tail at KLM Open
PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON put himself right back in contention at the KLM Open with a superb 65 to leave himself just three shots off leader Chris Wood.
But it could have been ever better had the Dubliner managed to par the eighth and the par five 18th where he shot a six.
With eight birdies in his round, Harrington had been vying for a share of the lead heading down the 18th fairway but he dropped a shot on the final hole while his playing partner Hideto Tanihara birdied to set the clubhouse target on twelve under.
It’s Wood, though, who will take a oneshot lead into the final round after an excellent late burst of scoring on day three in Holland.
The Englishman came home in 31 to sign for a 65 and edge ahead of countryman Jonathan Thomson, Japan’s Hideto Tanihara and China’s Wu Ashun.
The 2016 Ryder Cup star has three wins on the European Tour but a fourth looked a long way off as he bogeyed the second to sit six shots behind early leader Thomson in Spijk. A lay up and an excellent pitch into the par-five sixth started the comeback and he played the 13th, 15th and last in similar fashion, adding further birdies on the seventh, 10th and 12th to get his nose in front.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, returning to the United States team after a six-year absence, will make golf’s showdown even better, according to Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn.
‘He brings so much greatness to the game of golf,’ Bjorn said yesterday, two weeks before the action in France. A runner-up finish at the PGA Championship last month behind Ryder Cup team-mate Brooks Koepka ensured a resurgent 42-year-old Woods won selection from Bjorn’s counterpart Jim Furyk.
It’s an eighth Ryder Cup appearance, and the first since 2012, for Woods whose only win was in 1999. He has a losing record overall though won four of seven duels in singles.
‘For such a big event you want big personalities, big profiles. I’m excited about seeing that American team. I’m excited about seeing Tiger back in the fold,’ Bjorn said in France at the Evian Championship women’s major.
The September 28-30 event at Le Golf National in the south-west suburbs of Paris is a rare chance for French fans to watch Woods close up.
How Furyk chooses to use Woods is not open to speculation by Europe’s captain. Bjorn, who won all three Ryder Cups he played in, was a vice captain in 2004 and saw an opening day Woods-Phil Mickelson pairing backfire at Oakland Hills with two losses.
‘Whatever (Tiger) brings to the American team, and all that, that’s for the Americans to answer and Jim to deal with,’ Bjorn said. ‘I focus on our 12 and what they do.’
Instead, the 47-year-old Dane is “quite excited” about his five rookies – compatriot Thorbjorn Olesen, Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Noren.
‘I think they’re a great bunch of guys and they’ve proven themselves on the world stage,’ Bjorn said.