Dubliner shoots a four-under-par 68 to take share of clubhouse lead despite weather delays
Ireland's Padraig Harrington plays his shot from the 11th tee during the first round of the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio. Photograph: Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty ImagesDoing it his way, Pádraig Harrington reeled back the years to play his way into contention in the Valero Texas Open at San Antonio Country Club where there is the bonus of the last exemption into next week’s Masters tournament on offer for the winner.
Although fog proved disruptive in causing a near three and a half hours suspension, and then strong winds gusting to 35 miles an hour provided a different challenge once play got under way, the 51-year-old Dubliner proved immune to such disruptors in signing for a finely crafted four-under-par 68 that gave him a share of the clubhouse lead with Matt Kuchar.
“Look, [with] tough conditions, which generally suit me, I kept my head down, I never saw the leaderboard until I finished. I didn’t know I was leading and that’s what you’ve got to do on a tough day. You’ve got to hit sensible shots and sometimes the sensible shot isn’t trying to hit the middle of the fairway, it’s squeezing it up one side of it. Even if it goes in the rough, it’s fine. You’ve got to really have your thinking hat on and I did a good job mentally today.
Harrington, who mainly plays on the Champions Tour these days, showed much of his old fight and creativity in overcoming an early bogey on the 12th, his third hole, to forge a hot streak around the turn where he claimed a hat-trick of birdies.
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