Padraig Harrington sadly plunged from the penthouse to the basement in his very first competitive round since capturing the Honda Classic.
Harrington was lying in second last place with a shock five over par 76 early on the opening day of the $US 5.9m Valspar Championship in Tampa Bay.
The site 10 days ago with Padraig Harrington holding a second Honda Classic trophy. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffille.ie)
He had returned to Florida’s Sunshine State buoyed by a play-off victory in capturing a second Honda Classic title that also ended a seven-year PGA Tour winning drought.
But 10 days on and Harrington is already staring at missing the cut on the Innisbrook Copperhead course.
Harrington opening his round with a double bogey after finding rough well right of the fairway at the 10th hole from where he had been forced to chip some 22 yards back out to the fairway, and when he found the green in three, Harrington three putted from some 14 feet.
He then found himself three over par with a bogey at his second before the first of just three birdies in his round at the 14th at his fifth hole.
However after taming ‘The Bear Trap’ in winning the Honda Classic the triple major winner was stung at the ‘Snake Pit’, the the three closing holes of the Valspar course, in taking bogey at his eighth and ninth holes.
Harrrington managed to birdie his 10th hole but took a second double bogey of his round when he was in the rough and some 45-feet from the hole at the par three fourth hole or his 13th but then taking a further four shots to get up-and-down.
He posted a birdie at the next ahead of a bogey at his 16th.
Only fellow Open Champion, John Daly was lower on the leader board with the American shooting a 10-over par 81.
