Harrington works on tactics

BRITISH OPEN: The things golfers will do to get an edge, especially in the week of a major and particularly in the week of a British Open. Philip Reid chats to Padraig Harrington about his Muirfield preparations

Yesterday, during his practice round on a links which has him somewhat unsure of the desired strategy required to conquer it, Padraig Harrington would take a club head cover from his caddie, Dave McNeilly, and position it between his arms before hitting the ball.

It's a simple exercise designed to solve little technical problems with a player's swing.

"It's actually to keep my elbows closer together during the swing, which stops my right elbow from going deep at the top of the backswing. The beauty of doing it out on the course, rather than on the range, is that I can fiddle around doing it while working on other things as well," explained Harrington.

Not that his game requires much adjusting. In many ways, this season has seen Harrington emerge as a genuine major player. His tied-fifth finish in the US Masters and his tied-eighth finish in the US Open have confirmed his ranking as a player capable of competing with the best at the best championships.

"I know I can do it," he conceded, "it is just a question of extending it and keeping it going for 72 holes. It's not that the Masters and the US Open were trial runs, but you need to get into that position and stay there, you've got to learn from those times. And, when you get into a good position, then you don't back off. You keep going forward."

So, if Harrington has learned anything from contending in the season's first two majors, now is the time to put it to use. However, despite his position as 10th in the world rankings, Harrington considers himself one of golf's underdogs rather than a top dog.

"I would always see myself as the underdog trying to catch up. Whether it's Ernie Els or Tiger Woods ahead of me on the final day, I would still be the underdog," he insisted.

Of perhaps more concern to Harrington is that he has yet to figure out what is the best way to play the course.

"You go to a US Open and you just know that it is all about patience. It is all about trying to play the same shot over and over again. You're just trying to hit fairways, hit the middle of the greens and have patience and patience and patience.

"Here, I haven't quite figured out what's going to make a winner. Is it going to be the player who plays superb consistent golf? Or is it the one who plays exciting golf, hitting drivers and making birdies? Someone not making too many mistakes? I haven't figured it out.

"A lot of times you can go on to a links course and you can sort of ride your luck. You can hit it and find it and get it up and down and just keep it going from there. You don't necessarily have to play solid, consistent golf.

"This golf course is unusual for a links course. It rewards somebody who is very consistent and can hit it in the middle of the fairway and hit the middle of greens without doing anything spectacular. That's why I think a lot of players will be in contention at the end of the week. There is nothing on the golf course that would necessarily intimidate anybody to think that they couldn't compete here."

For the first two rounds, Harrington will be paired with John Daly and Adam Scott, while Paul McGinley starts his campaign alongside Toru Taniguchi and Dudley Hart - "That's a good draw, I have played with both of them before," McGinley remarked - and Darren Clarke will play alongside US PGA champion David Toms and matchplay champion Kevin Sutherland.

Of the four Irish players in the field, though, Des Smyth will be the first into the fray. Just like at Lytham last year, Smyth - grouped with Peter Baker and James Kingston - will be in the first three-ball out on the course.

"I'd love to have been the first player to hit off, that would have been nice," said Smyth, who will be the second to tee-off, after Baker. "If someone had asked me, 'what time do you want to play?', I'd have said seven o'clock. It's perfect."

Whether, like last year, it proves to be a good omen remains to be seen. But Smyth, who has received treatment for a back and leg injury over the past couple of days, admits that he is having problems with his iron shots and, consequently, is not making any grandiose targets.

"Last year I was very excited because I came through the qualifying - it is a bit different when you are exempt, a bit quieter. I had a buzz from the beginning last year," he said.

Competing in his 22nd British Open, and admitting that it would "probably" be his last, Smyth - who will have joined the Seniors Tour by this time next year - is a traditionalist who simply loves playing links golf and particularly this championship. His best finish was at Troon in 1982 where he finished fourth, behind winner Tom Watson.

"I'm 49 and it is great to be still playing this tournament. I'm just playing average, however. I am not really on top of my game. If I make the cut, I'll be really happy," he admitted.