Padraig Harrington will look to again draw on plenty of Irish support when he tees-up in the defence of his Portugal Masters title at Oceanic Villamoura.
Harrington singled out the support from the many Irish fans present a year ago and soon after capturing the event on the Oceanico Victoria coures on the sun-splashed Algarve.
The win was Harrington’s 15th on the European Tour but a first in eight years and 74 days, and a victory gap of having contested 115 Tour events since capturing the 2008 PGA Championship.
Harrington bravely held off challenges from Anders Hansen, Mikko Korhonen and Andy Sullivan to prevail by a single shot.
Padraig Harrington ends a long eight-year European Tour wait to win a 15th victory in capturing the 2016 Portugal Masters. (Photo – European Tour).
However, season 2017 has been a year marked by injuries with Harrington finally undergoing surgery in March on a nagging trapped nerve in his shoulder and then in June freakishly struck on the elbow while hosting a corporate outing.
“I’ve been injured this year and for sure I lack a little bit of competitive play,” he said. “There’s a little bit too much practise going on for my on-course play so I’ve got to get my head around things, get a few things shut down in my head in order to be where I want it to be on Thursday morning.
“I know if I can start okay Thursday morning and I’m in with a chance on Sunday it’s so much easier when you’re under pressure, the focus is just that bit sharper.”
But then Harrington only has to draw on memories of his closing 65 in Vilamoura a year ago along with a strong fourth place result in July’s Scottish Open to show at age 46 he can still be a force in golf.
“Every win is important, they don’t happen as often as you think they do,” he added. “I enjoy my wins and I make sure I celebrate them when I do win.
“It was great to win, I get about one a year. You put a lot into them, there’s a lot of weeks where you’re frustrated, you’ve lost, you maybe messed up and got it wrong so when the wins come around you’ve got to make sure you do enjoy it and I take a lot from my wins.”
Rewinding to 2016, Harrington had birdied the 71st hole to seize a one-shot lead over Sullivan up the last in 2016 and after playing a safe shot clear of the water off the tee, he found some thick rough around the green with his second.
That would have presented the chance of a bogey to many players but the two-time Open winner chipped to four feet and claimed a title-sealing par, a route that was the plan all along.
“They were quite memorable,” he said. “It was obviously a very tight and exciting event.
“I came down the last, I hit a conservative tee-shot away from the water and the rough and hit a smart shot with my second shot because I knew my short game was good. That’s a huge part of my game, I live by my short game and it was strong all day so I was very comfortable to hit up the right-hand side and go for that chip and putt to win and it did work out very nicely.”
Joining Harrington this week is fellow former Portugal Masters winner, Shane Lowry who reigned supreme in 2012 in winning a first tournament as a professional.
Lowry shot a final round 66 to win by a shot from England’s Ross Fisher.
