TPC River Highlands, CT …
For a second year running Padraig Harrington signed off a 66 on day one of the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.
Harrington didn’t drop a shot with two birdies on each half for his four-under par tally and head to well-deserved lunch sharing sixth place early on in the $US 7m event.
At the end of the round, Harrington trailed three shots behind the fellow Open Champions winning pair of Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson.
Rory McIlroy, also an Open winner, shot a 64 to be sharing third place.
It was Harrington’s lowest PGA Tour starting score since a similar 66 in the event a year ago.
It left the three-Major winner trailed four shots behind fellow Open Champion, Zach Johnson who capped his round of a blistering seven-under par 63 with six straight birdies from his 11th hole on the par-70 TPC River Highlands course.
Johnson’s only mishap was a bogey at the last.
However Harrington’s focus, and aside from a first victory in nearly two years, was three events closer to home commencing with the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Ballyliffin.
“It’s all about the next four weeks leading up to The Open including looking forward very much to the Irish Open at Ballyliffin,” he said.
“Ballyliffin will be my first event of three weeks on links courses as I am also playing the Scottish Open, so hopefully it will be nice to get back to familiar territory.”
Harrington made the most of his Traveler’s invitation with birdies at the par-5 sixth hole where, and after missing the green right, he chipped his 37-yard third shot to eight-feet and drained the putt.
Harrington then hit a booming 321-drive down the seventh and then sent a laser-like 135-yard wedge to just three-feet for a second birdie.
He pared the next three before moving to three-under in landing his tee shot at the par-3 11th to 16-feet and then delighted a big crowd following his group in holing the birdie putt.
He then moved to four-under at the short par-4 15th first missing the green short and right but then brilliantly chipped to some three feet for a birdie ‘3’.
The current World No. 252 pared his closing three holes in a round that was his lowest ‘individual’ round on the PGA Tour since a final round 66 in last November’s RSM Classic and the Dubliner’s opening event of the 2017/18 wraparound Tour schedule.
Closer to home, the score matched a 66 Harrington shot on day two of the recent Italian Open.
“I was happy how I played as I played nice and steady hitting plenty of fairways and greens while my head was in a good place this morning,” he said.
“My driving was good today missing just one fairway and that was on 10 and then managing to hit all but three greens in regulation so very pleased with the start.
“Though in saying that you want to be shooting three to four under as 16-under is the average winning score.”
The Travelers is Harrington’s last hit out on a typical PGA Tour venue before returning to Europe where he’s already looking forward to three weeks in succession on his more-accustomed links venues and kicking off with the July 5th commencing Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Ballyliffin.
Seamus Power posted a level par70 while Graeme McDowell struggled in returning to the Tour after missing the cut in last week’s U.S. Open.
McDowell signed off for a two-over par 72 and spoiling his round early with a double-bogey ‘6’ at his third hole in finding trees well left and then having to chip out.
