Sport

Return to form on the greens for Harrington

Despite often having to step back for two minutes at a time while a 737 thundered past overhead, the European Tour's remarkable…

Fri Apr 24 1998 - 01:00

Despite often having to step back for two minutes at a time while a 737 thundered past overhead, the European Tour's remarkable players showed just what an amazing standard they have achieved in just over 10 years.

Only 32 of yesterday's first round 156-field for the Spanish Open failed to break par. The lead was held by a trio of dark-horses shooting 64s, just a stroke off the course record which has stood for 21 years, set in 1977 by Tom Watson after Ireland's Hugh Jackson originally carded it in the 1960s.

They were Australian Greg Chalmers, Spaniard Jose Carriles and American Jay Townsend, who remembered back to when he first came on tour and played here when it was not only difficult to shoot 69 but you couldn't even reach the par-five 15th in two.

There were birdies on the 15th aplenty yesterday and it was a day of outstanding achievements. Two 65s, Jean Van de Velde of France and 22-year-old David Howell hold fourth place. And among the eight men on 66 are two very young men indeed, 18-year-old amateurs Sergio Garcia and an El Prat club member with hardy ears, Alejandro Larrazabal.

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His surname of course, is not a million miles from one of the favourites here, Jose Maria Olazabal. Olazabal had his best start in a Spanish Open to be in the octet on 66, looking to repeat his feat here in 1986 when he won the Sanyo Open on his rookie year.

Ten years later Padraig Harrington did win the Spanish Open on his rookie year. And he is up there again, a transformed putting performance hoisting him to a 67 and back in contention on tour again after last week's perplexing fall from grace in Cannes.

Yesterday Harrington needed only 27 putts, his average this year, and that changed his luck. It was nowhere near the 20 he needed in Perth, but he was glad of a return to form on the greens as he collected three birdies going out and three coming home, with just one slip when he ballooned a shot way right on the short sixth to make his only bogey.

"It was rather up-and-down as far as the game was concerned," revealed Harrington, "and I was not happy with my pitching from the 50 to 100-yard mark. But to take only 27 putts again and get back to my average was comforting.

"My bunker play leaves a lot to be desired but I have plenty to work with now, the staleness of last week has gone."

While Harrington, proving he could work the ball in with the wedge at least a couple of times by twice pitching to only a foot for two of his birdies, leads the Irish challenge, his 46-year-old peer Eamonn Darcy is close on his heels.

Darcy was also mystified why he lost his touch last week, his going in the final round as he slumped from second place in Cannes to only 16th. This week, though, he thinks he has found out why after chalking up a 68 to also challenge the leaders.

His putting touch, unlike Harrington's, was far from ideal but Darcy was swinging like of old yesterday as he set up eight bird ies with some fine ironplay.

Perhaps Harrington and Darcy should swap methods on the range. Darcy said: "I just wasn't that confident from three feet and it cost me in the end. The greens were slow, though, and while that seemed to suit everybody else it didn't me. We never seem to get fast greens any more and I like them fast. I had 30 putts, including two three-putts, and that's never going to give you a leading score, so I was pleased to be able to shoot at least the 68."

That left two happy Irishmen and Des Smyth was also delighted to birdie the 17th and 18th to post a 69 but, with the scoring so low, unless it blows a hurricane today, the rest of the Irish contingent have to battle hard to make the weekend.

Philip Walton was inches away from an albatross on the 12th but had to settle for a 72, and Paul McGinley showed a good deal of pluck in coming back from twoover early on to shoot the same score. The putter was no friend of Raymond Burns, though, as he slipped to a 74 and a fight today to stay at El Prat, noisy or not.

Spanish Open (at El Prat, Barcelona, Brit and Irl unless stated, Par 72, x denotes amateurs). 64 - G Chalmers (Aus), J Townsend (US), J M Carriles (Spa), 65 - D Howell, J Van de Velde (Fra), 66 - J M Olazabal (Spa), S Allan (Aus), E Romero (Arg), (x) S Garcia (Spa), D Chopra (Swe), P Sjoland (Swe), R Allenby (Aus), (x) A Larrazabal (Spa), 67 - D Hospital (Spa), P Harrington, A Cabrera (Arg), M Tunnicliff, G Brand Jnr, K Brink (Swe), I Giner (Spa), I Garbutt, M A Jimenez (Spa), P Price, K Tomori (Jpn), 68 - J Remesy (Fra), J Sandelin (Swe), J Lomas, R Chapman, D Carter, C Suneson (Spa), E Darcy, S Luna (Spa), P Lawrie, S Field, P Eales, M James, C Hainline (USA), T Levet (Fra), D Cooper, T Bjorn (Den), C Whitelaw (Rsa), P Fulke (Swe), 69 - J M Lara (Spa), D Edlund (Swe), P Baker, A Coltart, B Dredge, J C Pinero (Spa), M Mackenzie, M A Martin (Spa), J Haeggman (Swe), K Storgaard (Den), M Farry (Fra), M Hallberg (Swe), B Davis, K Eriksson (Swe), M Gronberg (Swe), P Hedblom (Swe), R Coles, I Woosnam, S Ballesteros (Spa), P Mitchell, V Phillips, D Smyth, (x) R Vera (Spa), M Roe, 70 - S Cage, I Garrido (Spa), O Karlsson (Swe), S Grappasonni (Ita), S Torrance, D Borrego (Spa), J Coceres (Arg), J Payne, J M Arruti (Spa), S Tinning (Den), O Eliasson (Swe), S Webster, S Leaney (Aus), F Cea (Spa), D Robertson, W Westner (Rsa), A Hunter, (x) R Quiros (Spa), 71 - P Linhart (Spa), G Orr, H P Thuel (Ger), F Valera (Spa), B Langer (Ger), S Kjeldsen (Den), I Pyman, A Sherborne, J C Aguero (Spa), R Wessels (Rsa), F Roca (Spa), D Tapping, D Gilford, J Rivero (Spa), R Derksen (Ned), R Gonzalez (Spa), D Lynn, 72 - P Broadhurst, P Walton, T Gogele (Ger), M Gates, M Mouland, R Karlsson (Swe), J Sota (Spa), G Turner (Nzl), B May (US), J Spence, G Evans, R Davis (Aus), S Henderson, P McGinley, M Campbell (Nzl), R Muntz (Ned), G Owen, P Lonard (Aus), P Golding, B Lane, H Clark, F Henge (Swe), M Reale (Ita), 73 - A Salto (Spa), C Van der Velde (Ned), W Riley (Aus), R McFarlane, J Robson, M Ballesteros (Spa), S Richardson, 74 - A Garrido (Spa), R Burns, N Vanhootegem (Bel), J Rozadilla (Spa), M Davis, I Feliu (Spa), A Binaghi (Ita), (x) A Vidaor (Spa), M Florioli (Ita), A Cejka (Ger), D Thomson, 75 - A Oldcorn, C Watts, M Jonzon, R Jacquelin (Fra), C Rocca (Ita), R Russell, M Long (Nzl), 76 - (x) A Mata (Spa), A Forsbrand (Swe), R Boxall, A Kankkonen (Fin), 78 - F Tarnaud (Fra), 79 - M Piner (Spa), Retired - P Haugsrud (Nor).