Golf:Pádraig Harrington felt the best plan of attack was to get straight back into action after the US Open and it's a decision well-founded for the Dubliner moved into a share of the lead at the €4.8million Travelers Championship in Connecticut.
Harrington may have finished tied 22nd at Pebble Beach but the three-time major winner was unable to tap into his A-game and never bettered 73 on the Monterey Peninsula. It was for that reason – and lack of tournaments on his schedule between now and the British Open next month – which prompted him to play this week.
The 38-year-old enjoyed a six-under-par 64 round laced with seven birdies and just the one dropped shot at the 14th to share the early lead alongside Australia's Mathew Goggin and South Korea's Charlie Wi.
“Just no tournaments between now and the Open,” was Harrington’s answer to why he decided to add the Travelers to his schedule. “So far I'm playing in the JP McManus Pro-am in a week's time and that was my only competitive play.
“I decided that as much as I like practicing, I better get out on the golf course and do some competitive play and see what my game is like. You know, I've already got one go at it rather than beating balls on the range.”
Harrington accepted the pace of a regular the event is different to the cauldron of a major week like last week’s US Open.
“It's a different change of pace, but now that I'm leading the tournament, obviously I'm back to the old grind again,” he added.
After starting at the 10th Harrington reeled off three birdies on the spin and quickly found he was in possession of a hot putter with converted birdies from 15, 35 and three feet.
His only dropped shot came at the 14th when he drove through the fairway and hit his eight-iron approach long. Further birdies came at 16 - where another 35 footer dropped - and the 18th.
On the front side he almost holed his seven iron at the short fourth and drained another monster from 45 feet at the fifth.
“There were some good putts holed plus I had three twos on the card which never does any harm,” he added.
There has been something of a European renaissance across the Atlantic of late as Harrington goes in search of a first win in almost two years to follow Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose and Lee Westwood as the most recent winners in the States.
American quartet Bubba Watson, Kevin Sutherland, Ben Curtis and American Ryder Cup captain, Corey Pavin, formed the chasing pack, one shot adrift after they carded 65s.