Harrington busy managing his dizzying itinerary

Sticking to a routine and hitting the gym are vital components to help professional golfers cope with jet lag, while television watching is a definite no-no, says Pádraig Harrington.

“If you wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning and you’re wide awake, do not put on the television,” triple Major winner Harrington warned while speaking to reporters yesterday at Riviera Country Club.

“That is the golden rule, do not put it on. Just lie there and look at the four walls, but the minute you put on the television, that’s it. You ain’t ever getting back to sleep.”

The globe-trotting Irishman knows all about the potential pitfalls of jet lag, his most recent run of tournaments taking him to Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, South Africa, Abu Dhabi and then Arizona and California over the past four months.

Jet lag and travel

Asked how he managed to shake off the effects of such a dizzying itinerary, Harrington replied: “You feel it if you’re not working. So jet lag and travel, it’s harder (to deal with) when you go home and you don’t have a time scale to stick to.

“I’ve got to make an 8.10am pro-am time tomorrow, so I’m getting up probably 2½ hours before that. I’ve got to make a 7.50am time on Friday, so I’m getting up three-and-a-bit hours before that time. I just have to get up and get on with it.

“One night’s sleep deprivation has no effect on performance whatsoever. Two nights is extremely detrimental. So I know no matter how bad I sleep or how bad I feel, I can get through a round of golf. I can last that length of time. I’ll be fine.” Harrington, known for his workaholic approach to the game, also recommended plenty of gym time to keep jet lag at bay.

“Getting into the gym always gets you back on track,” said the 41-year-old, who is playing his fourth consecutive tournament at this week’s Northern Trust Open at Riviera.

Wake ourselves

“That’s probably one of the keys. We’ll all do that. We’ll all wake ourselves up by going to the gym. And there are other simple disciplines, being professional in the sense of hydrating and eating properly.

“If it’s really bad, it just means you have to maybe curtail practice and catch up on your sleep.”

Harrington, a five-times champion on the PGA Tour whose most recent victory came at the 2008 PGA Championship, will tee off in the company of Argentina’s Angel Cabrera and Canadian Stephen Ames in today’s opening round.

Graeme McDowell is making his first appearance of the year and plays the opening two rounds this week with Ryder Cup team-mate and world number three Luke Donald and Australian Adam Scott, both of whom are also making their seasonal debuts.

McDowell could not have finished 2012 on a greater high, winning the World Challenge in California for the second time in three years, while Scott captured the Australian Masters in November – his first victory since blowing the British Open at Royal Lytham.

Another group is Phil Mickelson, Bill Haas and Keegan Bradley, the three players who fought out a play-off won by Haas last year.

Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and British Open champion Ernie Els are also in the field, as is Vijay Singh, whose use of deer antler spray continues to be investigated by the PGA.

Northern Trust Open The Lowdown

Course: Riviera Country Club, California.

Prize money: €4.9 million (€830,000 to the winner).

Length: 7,298 yards. Par: 71.

Field: 135.

Layout: The lush kikuyu grass rough has proven to be penal and the bentgrass, Poa annua greens require time to get know. There are plenty of doglegs to negotiate as players think their way around.

Last year: Bill Hass beat Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley after a play-off.

Key attribute: Accuracy.

On TV: Sky Sports 3 (from 8pm).

Weather forecast: Warm.

Time difference: California is eight hours behind Ireland.