WITH five holes to play in the first round of the Carlsberg Malaysian Open, Padraig Harrington was playing nicely and had Thongchai Jaidee, the defending champion and leader in the clubhouse, within his sights. The highest ranked player in the field at No 8 in the world, Harrington had picked up four birdies in 13 holes over The Cobra course at the Saujana Golf and Country Club and had not dropped a shot. He was four strokes off the lead and looking to close the gap.
However, when play was suspended for two hours because of lightning midway through the afternoon, the Ryder Cup player lost his momentum and could not get it back. After taking three putts at the 15th, for his first bogey of the day, Harrington dropped another shot at the 16th, taking three to get down from the edge of the green, and then bogeyed the par-five 18th after finding a fairway bunker, rough and then a greenside bunker. Out in 34, he came home in 37 and lies seven shots off the lead. It was a disappointing end to what had started as a promising day.
Wherever there was a tournament last year, it seemed as if Miguel Angel Jiménez was there. The Spaniard won four times in 27 European Tour events, missed the cut in only three of them and finished fourth on the Order of Merit. With extra tournaments as far afield as the United States and Korea, as well as the Ryder Cup and World Cup, he might have been expected to fade towards the end of the season.
At 41, however, Jiménez is never happier than when he is competing. The travel does not seem to bother him in the least, although he admits that a good bottle of Rioja and a fine cigar help to smooth the way. After a five-week lay-off in which he did not pick up a club, he was dismayed with his swing earlier this week, but yesterday was soon back into his stride.
Playing alongside Jaidee, who finished with a 64, Jiménez had an outward half of 33 and came home in 35 for a round of four under par. If a few putts had dropped — a puff of wind at the 7th would have blown one in — then his score would have been even better.
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Thomas Björn, meanwhile, had the most entertaining finish of the day. With his second shot ending (who knows how?) in a teacup inside a hospitality marquee behind the green, he was allowed a free drop, put his third shot on to the green and rolled in the putt for a birdie four. Two over par after three holes, the Dane had turned things around and finished the day level with Jiménez and three others, including Paul McGinley.
Brian Davis and Darren Clarke, the British pair, made good starts in the first round of the Nissan Open in Los Angeles yesterday. Clarke had a hole in one at the 6th on his way to a five-under-par 66, while Davis came in with a 65.