Irish Open: Padraig Harrington sets his sights on current leader Gregory Bourdy
PADRAIG HARRINGTON played mind games with Irish Open leader Gregory Bourdy yesterday by swooping within touching distance then declaring himself the favourite.
PADRAIG HARRINGTON played mind games with Irish Open leader Gregory Bourdy yesterday by swooping within touching distance then declaring himself the favourite.
The three-time Major champion used all his experience to pile pressure on the Frenchman with a warning that he’s coming to get him this weekend.
It was the kind of gamesmanship that would have impressed the master of mischief Sir Alex Ferguson – and we’ll soon find out if Bourdy is naive enough to take the bait.
The 30-year-old certainly looked unflappable when he fired a 67, later matched by Harrington, to grab the halfway lead on 12 under.
But he’s in for a heck of a fight with England’s Mark Foster lurking just a shot behind, followed by Harrington poised ominously on 10 under beside Lorenzo Gagli of Italy and Englishman Paul Waring.
Especially on a Royal Portrush course that Padraig reckons is tailor made for the thrill of the chase.
The Irishman said: “This is a course where it’s easier to be the chaser than the one holding the lead.
“It’s tougher because every shot out there has trouble and if you are trying to hold on to something you can get defensive and find that trouble.
“Whereas if you have freedom in your game there’s potential for making birdies.
“If you’re chasing you have nothing to lose so you can stand up, open the shoulders on your drive and relax.
“It doesn’t matter if you wing one into the rubbish – it won’t really cost you anything.
“It’s that sort of course that lends itself to great golf but also puts somebody with something to defend under pressure.
“When I won The Open at Birkdale I felt like I was the favourite going into the last round and maybe that’s the position I’m in now.
“I’m sure Gregory at 12 under par doesn’t feel like that but there will be a lot of expectation on me.
“Chasing is so much easier and to be able to take a lead and go with it takes a bit of courage.”
Bourdy didn’t show any signs of nerves when he got yesterday’s round off to a flyer with an eagle and birdie at the second and third holes.
By the 18th he was looking down on the rest of the field and Bourdy thanked local boy Darren Clarke for advice that helped him get round this famous old links unscathed.
But Clarke himself was just happy to make his first cut of the year after a 69 got him well inside the mark on four under.
Bourdy said: “This week started well because I played a practice round with Darren and he gave me advice.
“Not many people will have benefited from Darren’s advice on every shot. I asked him a few times how he played the hole because the wind is very different here. Then in the evening I saw him one more time to learn a few more things about the end of the course.
“I have links experience from early in my career. When I was an amateur I lost in the semi-finals of the Scottish Youths and I also remember starting very well in Carnoustie when Padraig Harrington won The Open.
“I was at the same score after two rounds as he was but didn’t finish very well. I hope this weekend is going to be my best on a links course.”
Not if Harrington has anything to do with it and Bourdy would do well to bury that last memory of Carnoustie for fear of giving Harrington another psychological arrow to shoot.