Padraig Harrington scrambled to make par at his last hole to be assured of playing all four rounds of the Austrian Open.
Harrington was staring at the embarrassment of having the week off when he missed a three-footer for bogey the 17th hole of his round on the Diamond Golf Club course at Atzenbrugg.
However the Triple Major winner dug deep at the par three, ninth or the 18th of his round to drain a testy par putt.
“I knew I needed to make that putt at the last and I wasn’t very confident standing over it given I had missed one from three feet for par on the green before,” he said.
“It was nice to roll it in and sometimes when the pressure is on it can actually get a little easier.
“So I was well and truly focussed on holing that putt.”
Indian rookie Gaganieet Bhullar sparkles on the Diamond course. (Photo - Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
It left the current World No. 81 ranked Harrington lying eight shots behind the leading foursome of England’s Robert Coles (65), Dutchman Joost Luiten (70), Denmark’s Thomas Norret (70) and India’s Gaganieet Bhullar (68).
All four are looking to win for a first time on the European Tour when he raced to be seven under after 10 holes but he then proceeded to drop four shots in two holes from his 12th.
Harrington burst from the blocks in glittering style with three birdies in his opening four holes.
But bogeys at his fifth and eighth hole took away some of the shine before Harrington birdied his 10th hole to get back to one over par.
He then finished with birdies at 15 and 16 sandwiched between bogeys at his 14th and 17th holes.
“It could have been better had I not had three three putts that obviously did the damage,” he said.
“The good thing is that all my birdies were not far being tap-ins so there was some good golf there.”
Much of the pre-tournament hype was all about Harrington’s ‘new’ golf swing and the Dubliner, who’s now working with renowned Pete Cowen, is happy with the progress he’s making.
“I don’t like having to try out a new golf swing in tournament conditions but it’s really helped my driving all the way through,” he said.
“But when you’re in between shots you have too many thoughts in your head, and traditionally I would never do that.
“But as far as my driving is concerned as well as my long shots I could not be happier but it’s only the in between shot
“There’s just too much junk running around in my head at the moment I am happy but I would not want to be going into a Major.
“So I will put up with it for the moment.”
