Tip of the Month

By John Pallot
Director of Instruction

July 08: Paddy Catches Shark In Route To 2nd Claret Jug

All the talk before the 137th Open Championship centered around one glaring fact-this would be the first major championship played without world No. 1 Tiger Woods since the 1996 PGA Championship. Certainly, there needed to be an asterisk inscribed by the eventual champion’s name on the coveted Claret Jug. Sure, or maybe,  unless your name is Padraig Harrington, the only player in the 156 man field who could honestly say he had been there and done that. For the second year in a row, Harrington played spectacularly in golf’s oldest championship to win the second major of his career. Woods was present in the first- a playoff win over Sergio Garcia at Carnoustie in 2007, but Woods was not much a factor (he tied for 12th).

The Irishman fired a magnificent 1-under 69 in the final round on Sunday for a 3 over par 283 total and a four shot win over Ian Poulter to become the first European in more than a century to win golf’s oldest championship in consecutive years. Harrington’s 69 in cold, blustery conditions, was one of only five sub-par rounds on Sunday. When the final round started, 53 year old Greg Norman was the unlikely 54-hole leader, bringing a two shot advantage into the final round. A part-time player on the Champions Tour, golf course architect, wine maker and successful businessman, “The Great White Shark” was vying to become the oldest major champion in history. His three round total of 2 12 ,  two over , had the golfing world abuzz. Could the Shark turn back the clock on the final day and win the Open? As it turned out Norman started the day with three consecutive bogeys and tussled back and forth with Harrington and Poulter before derailing with three bogeys in four holes to start the back nine. “I can walk away from here being disappointed, but I can also walk away from here with my head held high because I hung in there”, Norman said. Norman finished with a 7 over par 77, but still tied for third with Henrik Stenson.

With a two shot lead on the 71st hole, Harrington decided to go for the par five hole in two. With trouble lurking right and left, Harrington smashed a 5 wood, from a difficult downhill lie, 249 yards to within 3 feet of the hole to set up his eagle 3. The Claret Jug was now his for a second consecutive year. So, no this major did not have Tiger Woods. The buzz leading in was that it wasn’t quite the same without him, but in the end, it was one of the most exciting compelling and intriguing majors in recent history.

This month’s tip is inspired by Harrington’s desire to be the best. “He’s the hardest worker, working dawn to dusk. There are never any arguments or grumbling if he hits the ball bad” says Bob Torrence, Harrington’s swing coach since 1998. When Harrington first showed Torrence his action, in the words of the venerable coach, “It needed a lot of work”. “His shoulder plane was very flat, his club was across the line at the top and his legs had nothing to do with his swing”, Torrence recalled. Connection between his arms, club, and body are a big part of Paddy’s winning technique now.

During the Open telecast, Harrington was shown warming up on the practice ground. I noticed he was hitting shots with a golf glove tucked under each armpit. Bingo! Talk about the perfect drill for CONNECTION. This is it. You’ve got to try this the next time you take a few practice swings. You’ll feel your arms a bit restricted when you swing, but this drill really helps you feel your arms and body work together. That’s why it’s called connection. Try it; you’ll like it.  Connection you should make permanent.