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Harrington hoping to
go one better
Irishman Padraig Harrington has posted
second-place finishes in his last two outings on the European Tour and he is hoping
to carry this form into the 130th British Open which starts at Royal Lytham and
St Annes on Thursday.
Harrington, who shared second spot
at both the Irish and European Opens earlier this month, is also banking on a
confidence boost as he returns to the venue where he made his Open championship
debut five years ago.
"This tournament is kind of special
for me because I contested my first Open in 1996 at Royal Lytham," he said.
"It was really beautiful weather that
year and I remember holing a bunker shot at my 36th hole, the 18th. All the galleries
were full too, so it was some experience for me when all the cheering started."
Apart from missing the cut at Royal
Birkdale in 1998, the 29-year-old Dubliner boasts a creditable record in the five
British Opens he has played.
He finished 18th on his championship
debut, fifth the following year at Royal Troon, 29th in 1999 and tied for 20th
at St Andrews 12 months ago.
"I'm gaining experience all along,
though. It's another Open championship and you're learning all along."
Harrington, currently fifth on the
European money list and third on the European Ryder Cup ranking chose to miss
last week's Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.
Instead, he rested and practised links
course golf in strong winds to fine tune his game for this week.
"I played a few rounds last week and
it's amazing what you forget about links golf," he said. "I think I actually perform
better on links courses. They suit me, even though they can be a bit rugged at
times.
"Things have gone very nice for me
this year but it doesn't give you great confidence standing here in these conditions.
I'm struggling in the wind and I'm sure everyone else is."
Harrington is one of the early British
Open starters on Thursday, teeing off in the seventh group of the day alongside
American John Huston and Shigeki Maruyama of Japan.
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