GOLF: Harrington and Co proving strength of our Tour with displays in Minnesota, writes Art Spander in Hazeltine
The weather turned yesterday, making Minnesota seem more like Britain, a bit cooler, a bit darker. But even in the blast furnace heat of the first two rounds the US PGA Championship was a fine place to be for the numerous representatives of the European Tour.
The fourth Major of the year, the 91st PGA, out on the prairie west of Minneapolis at Hazeltine, was in effect two tournaments, one being played by Tiger Woods and another involving everybody else.
In the Tiger Tournament, Woods was playing in his usual grand style — usual if you forget the missed cut in The Open at Turnberry, that is. By the end of Friday’s second round, he had built up a four-shot lead and as defending champion Padraig Harrington put it: “If Tiger plays the golf he’s capable of this weekend, he’ll be a winner.” In the other competition, there already were a great many winners, players such as Harrington, the Irishman, Ross Fisher and Ian Poulter of England, Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark, Lee Westwood of England, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland and even Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth.
All made the cut along with Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain, Thomas Levet of France and Francesco Molinari of Italy, an indication that even if the Euro Tour doesn’t have anyone quite like Tiger — and nor does any other tour on the globe - it still boasts a wealth of talent. Harrington, playing with Woods for the first two rounds, as he did last Sunday in that controversial final round of the WGC Bridgestone when the two were put on the clock and Harrington self-destructed, was tied with Woods for a time on Friday. Then Harrington made four bogeys on the back nine.
But even though he stumbled to a 35-38, he hit the shot of the day, and maybe of the tournament, a 301-yard 3-wood from a bunker onto the green of the par-five 642-yard 15th hole.
Harrington said: “Tiger told me he would have paid to have seen it. So I asked him for 50 bucks.” Poulter was on two-under 142 after 36 holes and would have been closer to the top of the leaderboard but for a double bogey at the first, his 10th.”It’s been great,” he said. “The crowds are fantastic out there. This is as busy a Major as I’ve seen all year, so it’s good fun.” Fun is a word one rarely hears associated with championship golf but this has indeed been an enjoyable tournament, due in no small part to those who have packed the enormous galleries here in an area which rarely sees the top pros.
Fisher, who briefly led the final round of The Open at Turnberry before taking that horrendous triple-bogey eight at the fifth, was tied with Tiger on Friday until bogeys at 17 and 18.
“In some ways I’m disappointed but overall I’m delighted,” said Fisher. “I was hitting fairways, I was hitting greens but finishing bogey, bogey always leaves a little bit of sour taste. But you know, I’m still in there with a good shout.” Fisher has made some tremendous progress - a run at The Open, a run at the PGA a month later.
“Every golfer wants to be at the Major championships,” said the 28-year-old. “This is what we all dream of, right from when we were kids. I want to go out there and perform, not only for myself but at the same time to give the fans something to shout about.” Fisher and Harrington were paired yesterday in an interesting twosome, the kid with potential alongside the only player not to back down where matched up against the Tiger. Harrington may have fallen apart last weekend, but that was the result on one errant shot into a pond, not being intimidated by Woods.
“It’s irrelevant,” Harrington responded when someone ask if he was unhappy that he wasn’t playing a fourth straight round with Woods, who yesterday was with Vijay Singh two groups ahead.
“It’s not bad to have a day off. Hopefully I’ll see him again on Sunday,” Harrington added.
McIlroy, widely expected to be the next great thing, was on level-par 144 after 36 holes and picked up a shot through the first seven yesterday.
“If I can iron it all out,” said the 19-year-old, “I can get myself back where I was in the middle of the second round. I’m definitely a lot happier about my game than I was on Monday or Tuesday, so there are a few positives to take from it all.” There are more than a few positives to take from the way the European Tour members have played this week in America. The only negative is they continue to chase that guy Tiger Woods. Then again, so does everyone from every corner of the world.
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