Harrington records an opening 68 in AT&T Pebble Beach pro-am

A wry grin crossed Pádraig Harrington’s face as his eight-foot birdie putt on the 18th green at Pebble Beach lipped out. A case of what might have been?

The three-time Major champion – nowadays ranked 289th in the world – had, for much of the opening round of the AT&T Pebble Beach pro-am, played like his old self. A first round 68, four under par, got the Dubliner off to a solid start in his bid to ignite his season.

Harrington, who arrived on the Monterey peninsula on the back of missed cuts in the Phoenix Open and last week’s Farmers Insurance Open in Torrey Pines, used some familiar company – he partnered businessman and philanthropist JP McManus in a group that also featured in-form Shane Lowry and Dermot Desmond – to help revive his game.

Having grabbed three birdies on the front nine – at the fourth, sixth and eighth holes – to turn in 33, Harrington suffered his first bogey on the 13th but bounced back with birdies on the 14th, from 16 feet, and the 15th, a tap-in from 18 inches, to move to four under.

But he failed to take advantage of birdie opportunities on his closing holes which led to a degree of frustration.

Very happy

“I’d three good chances on the last three holes,” said Harrington, adding: “It looked as if I made all three but none went in. That can happen. It is one of those days if I finished five-under, I would have been very happy. And I am very disappointed with four-under. But surely a shot can’t make that much difference over 72 holes.”

Harrington’s round left him four shots adrift of clubhouse leader JB Holmes, who shot an opening round 64, eight under, at Pebble Beach. It was the lowest opening round of his professional career, as the American continued his good form from Torrey Pines where he lost out in a playoff to Jason Day.

Lowry, for his part, opened with a three-under par 69 on his first visit to Pebble Beach that, like Harrington, could have been even better with birdie putts on the 16th and 17th burning the edges.

His debut

The Offalyman – ranked 40th in the world and making his debut in the famed pro-am – had birdies on the second (from five feet), eighth (from 15 feet), 13th (from 16 feet) and 18th (from three feet) to go with his lone bogey, on the 16th where he was in rough off the tee.

The challenge for Paul McGinley was altogether different, having had his clubs stolen from his car on his arrival into San Francisco on Monday. The Ryder Cup captain – who attended a charity function in the city in aid of the Irish immigrant community – used newly acquired clubs.

But he battled away gamely and was level par after 15 holes.

McGinley, who attended San Diego University on a golfing scholarship before pursuing a professional career, had Ryder Cup memorabilia as well as his passport, travel documents, iPad and golf clubs stolen from his rental car shortly after his arrival. “I was on Trackman for quite a while getting the yardages right and then the adjustment for the heavy sea air, which makes things complicated,” explained McGinley of having to switch to clubs of a more recent design to the ones which were stolen.

Holmes assumed the clubhouse lead in the pro-am, a shot ahead of surprise packets John Daly (65), ranked 839rd in the world, and Dudley Hart.