Ford Championship: Padraig Harrington made a fine start to the Ford Championship at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Florida today to find himself just three shots off the early lead.

Harrington lost out to Davis Love III at the quarter-final stage of last week’s Accenture World match play at La Costa when the American holed his approach from 111-yards out at the final hole to win. But today it was the Dubliner’s turn for final shot heroics when he holed his final shot of the day from a bunker at the 18th to card an opening four-under 68.

The world number 21 had five birdies and just one dropped shot, at the par three fourth where he three-putted, to trail Columbia’s Camillo Vilegas by three shots. American Ryan Palmer was also seven-under with two holes to play.

It was a sluggish start for the Ulster pair in the field as Darren Clarke had a miserable back nine, and later withdrew from the event, while Graeme McDowell worked himself into position only to throw it all away at the very end.

Clarke reached the turn in level par with a birdie and a bogey on the card but returned home in three over. He picked up birdies at the 15th and 17th but that only sandwiched a double bogey at 16, with three further bogeys coming on the inward half for a 75.

McDowell had got to two under with two to play and looked to show signs of recovery after a run of three missed cuts in the States. However, a bogey, double bogey finish undid the good work and left the 26-year-old with a 73.

A bunch of players were grouped at six-under, most notably Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as the pair approached the end of their rounds. Vijay Singh was a shot further back after the Fijian had earlier carded a 67.