Eagles see Harrington flying high

GOLF ISKANDAR JOHOR OPEN:PÁDRAIG Harrington may have flown to Malaysia for his latest competitive fix but the long journey has already paid dividends after two eagles in his closing three holes left him in share of the lead at the Iskandar Johor Open.

The Dubliner traded the cold conditions of Scotland’s east coast during last week’s Alfred Dunhill Links for the humidity of this week’s Asian Tour event at Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club. It was a seamless move across time zones as his opening round of eight-under 64 opened with a bang before he ended the day in the best possible manner.

The triple major winner, tied 17th in Scotland last week, fired out of the blocks with three straight birdies before a fourth was gained at the ninth to turn in four-under 32. Although he dropped his only shot at the 11th, he got it back at the par-five 13th before the grandstand finish.

An eagle two at the 16th was quickly followed by another as he reduced the par-five 18th to three shots for his share of the overnight lead alongside Australia’s Marcus Both and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

“It was nice to finish eagle, par, eagle. That’s a rare thing to do. It certainly bumped up my score,” said Harrington. “It’s a long way to go yet. You can always lose it on a Thursday but in regards to winning it, there’s a lot of work to be done. It was a tough day with the wind, so it’s nice to return a score like that. I got the breaks and holed a few putts.

“At the end of the day, if you’re going to shoot a 64, you’ve got to hole a few putts. I certainly holed two nice ones on 16 and 18 and holed three 15-footers as well.”

A global field has gathered for the €890,000 event with 2008 champion Retief Goosen well-placed on four under after a 68. Victorious European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie carded a two-under 70 to be alongside defending champion, Korea’s KJ Choi.

Harrington is aiming to end a two-year winless drought which dates back to his third major at the 2008 US PGA Championship.

“I’ve had plenty of top-10s but I haven’t won a tournament and it is all about winning tournaments. I’ve got about five more events (this year) and I’m anxious to get at least a win which will make my Christmas better,” said the Dubliner on the eve of the event.

The world number 22 is no stranger to these parts and has won in Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei, but recognises the need to preserve his energy.

“The key to doing well is to make sure I don’t over do it in the heat. I like what I see. The course is very good, the greens are immaculate,” said Harrington.

“In the 14 years coming over for the co-sanctioned events, the Asian Tour has really grown. There is no discernable difference between the co-sanctioned events and no discernable difference between a European Tour event,” added Harrington, who has returned to some sort of normality after the highs of the Ryder Cup.

“From having such a high, there is a little low after. Certainly physically and mentally I was very tired last week (playing the Dunhill Links).”