Harrington on form and flying high

13 April 2012

Storm clouds were brewing over the Players Championship here, but some sunshine golf from Padraig Harrington lit up the first round.

Harrington, emerging as a real force in European golf, claimed a share of the lead with veteran Tom Kite after carding three successive birdies from the 532 yards second to go three under par for the £4 million tournament.

The Dubliner's scoring was all the more remarkable because the sweltering sun that greeted the early starters in golf 's unofficial 'fifth' major had disappeared behind an ominous bank of dirty grey clouds by the time Harrington came to the first tee.

When torrential rain and the threat of lightning caused a suspension of play just before lunch, there were already scenes of devastation in front of Harrington.

Former European No 1 Lee Westwood, still struggling with poor form that has seen him plunge down the world rankings, found a bunker with his opening drive and was two over at the turn.

Ryder Cup team-mate Paul Lawrie birdied the first but the former Open champion carded a double bogey six at the seventh and turned three over.

Sharing the same score after 10 were Jose Maria Olazabal and Ernie Els, who is struggling to maintain the game that has seen him win on both the European and US PGA tours this season.

By contrast, the combination of disappointing golf and a back injury meant Colin Montgomerie came to the north-east coast of Florida having managed to complete only one four-round tournament.

There was added tension to the Surrey-based Scot's appearance at the Tournament Players Club.

For during his last event on this side of the Atlantic, the World Championship Match Play in California last month, Montgomerie was subjected to more verbal taunts from spectators - a problem that has plagued him in America.

Fortunately, the fans watching from the grandstands were on best behaviour as he hit his opening drive at 7.10am local time.

It was an uncomfortably early hour, but the winner of a record seven successive European Order of Merits could hardly have wished for better conditions in which to go to work. Alas, his opening drive was a disappointment, Montgomerie's ball ending in the front of a fairway bunker.

But the recovery was magnificent, a punched shot finding the front fringe of the green from where he got down in two to save par.

Five men wearing armbands reading 'Escort' were attending to Montgomerie. However, the only bad behaviour on display was something they were powerless to do anything about - the habit of Montgomerie's American playing partner, Chris Smith, to spit before addressing his ball on the tee. Elsewhere, France's Olivier David upstaged Seve Ballesteros in the first round of the Madeira Island Open.

Ballesteros of Spain carded an opening two-under-par 70 at Santo da Serra, one of only a handful of scores under par in testing conditions.

The 44-year-old, without a tournament victory since 1995, even led the tournament at one stage after playing the front nine in three under par.

But he was eventually overtaken by David who carded a superb six-under-par 66 for a three-shot lead over defending champion Des Smyth.

David upstages Ballesteros

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Harrington on form and flying high

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