Pádraig Harrington endured the ritual of all defending champions when he returned the US Seniors Open trophy to the USGA ahead of the 43rd edition of the championship at SentryWorld in Wisconsin. Thing is, he wants it back.
The 51-year-old Dubliner – with a successful defence of his Dick’s Sporting Goods Open on the Champions Tour as fresh as last Sunday in the memory bank – has been juggling his time with some virtuosity on the various circuits and believes that the cut-and-thrust of continuing to play the Majors (he made the cuts at both the US PGA and the US Open) as well as the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour gives him an edge.
Harrington played 33 tournaments on the various tours last year and has kept the foot on the pedal this season again, aware of the importance of planning his schedule and making time for breaks.
But, no doubt, playing the likes of the US PGA at Oak Hill and the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club will help in his bid to bring his power game to the seniors circuit.
“Do I like coming and finding a challenge as daring? Yeah. Obviously they’re harder mentally and physical for me but I’ve got to an age that I can recognise these things and manage myself. There’s a lot more time spent in the physio unit than there would have been 20 years ago, I’d say. You know, the tougher the golf course, the more I like it,” said Harrington, identifying the rough this week as been much heavier than would be found on the Champions Tour.
“It’s not playing as heavy as LA Country Club, but it’s heavier than Oak Hill was at the PGA. Yeah, it’s pretty heavy. So there are advantages [for me] on the golf course. But like a lot of times with golf, even if you have an advantage, you still have to play the best golf.
“If I play to my strengths, great, I’ll be right there at the top of the leaderboard. But if I don’t play to my strengths, then it just doesn’t work out, but there is an advantage for sure,” added Harrington, who is in a group with Darren Clarke.
Clarke has shown decent form this season on the Champions Tour, finishing inside the top-25 on every one of his 11 tournament outings.
Lowdowns
US Seniors Open
Purse: €3.65 million (€660,000 to the winner)
Where: Stevens Point, Wisconsin, USA
The course: The course at SentryPoint – 7,218 yards, par 71 – is a Robert Trent Jnr design dating back to 1982 but then renovated in 2014 in a project by Trent Jnr with Bruce Charlton and Jay Blasi. With a par five of 611 yards – the 10th – in the layout, it will be a demanding test. The most picturesque hole is the par-three 16th which is challenging in its own right (measuring 202 yards) but which is requires players to shoot across a garden that features some 30,000 flowers.
The field: A loaded field headlined by local player Steve Stricker, who is number one on the Schwab Cup order of merit. Pádraig Harrington is the defending champion and comes in on the back of a successful defence of his Dick’s Sporting Goods Open title and in fine fettle after a season in which he has juggled playing on the Champions Tour, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour with top-10s on each of them. Darren Clarke, last year’s British Seniors Open champion, is also playing.
Quote-Unquote: “I think it does suit longer hitters. They’re going to hit driver/nine-iron. I’m hitting driver/three-iron, which makes it hard to compete when you do that 72 times. I know I have to play at my highest level to have any hope to win. But I know I’m capable of doing that.” – Bernhard Langer.
Irish in the field: Pádraig Harrington and Darren Clarke are in the same group with Rusty Strawn completing the three-ball (off the 10th, at 2.34pm Irish time).
Betting: No surprise to find Wisconsin native and serial winner Stricker heading the market at 11-4 but equally no surprise that Harrington is rated a close second in the market at 4-1 with Steven Alker next closest at 7-1. Harrington’s length should be a real asset this week and he could make it back-to-back wins in successive weeks. In the each-way market, Alex Cejka could be worth a look at 40-1.
On TV: Live on Sky Sports Golf from 11pm.
British Masters
Purse: €3.25 million (€500,000 to the winner)
Where: Sutton Coldfield, England
The course: The Brabazon course at The Belfry – 7,336 yards, par 72 – is a long-established venue on the European Tour having hosted Ryder Cups, Benson & Hedges International Opens, English Opens and playing host to the British Masters for a third straight year. The parkland layout has a number of fine holes, with the drivable par-four 10th of 319 yards and the par-four 18th of 497 yards bringing water into play.
The field: Justin Rose is the headline act with the field hit by the absence of many PGA Tour players who have taken time off after a busy schedule stateside. Thorbjorn Olesen is the defending champion, while in-form Polish player Adrian Meronk will look to add further Ryder Cup points in his bid to make the team for Rome later this year. There are three places available for next month’s 151st Open at Royal Liverpool to those players not exempt.
Quote-Unquote: “It’s great to be back. Obviously, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to sort of be back playing on the DP World Tour, but it’s also it’s been really good catching up with the players. Always feel like it’s a bunch of new faces and a lot of guys talk to me for the first time as well.” – Justin Rose.
Irish in the field: Tom McKibbin’s status as European Open winner has him elevated into the marquee group alongside Rose and last week’s BMW International winner Thriston Lawrence (off the 10th at 8.30am); John Murphy is in a group with Niklas Lemke and Gunner Wiebe (off the 1st at 9.30am).
Betting: Justin Rose is the 9-1 market leader ahead of Min Woo Lee who is a 10-1 shot. The in-form Yannick Paul, however, looks to be worth a look at 33-1 as is Joost Luiten who is getting back to good form and available at 40-1. Tom McKibbin is a 50-1 shot and looks decent value in the each-way market.
On TV: Live on Sky Sports Golf from 1pm.
