Sport

Clarke calm after his wobbly

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON has been flying so low under the radar so far this year he could have grass stains on his polo shirt

BRIAN KEOGH in Miami
Thu Mar 12 2009 - 00:00

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON has been flying so low under the radar so far this year he could have grass stains on his polo shirt. But Darren Clarke’s start to the year has been positively subterranean and his 44th place finish in last week’s Honda Classic can partly be attributed to an earthquake-like break up with his caddie Phil Morbey after just 36 holes at the PGA National Champion Course.

After 11 months and two victories together, the Tyrone man sacked Morbey on Friday evening and replaced him with Englishman Mick Doran.

Asked about the change at Doral yesterday, he grinned sheepishly and said: “Wobbly and I just had a little bit of a disagreement over something. Mick is on my bag this week and at the Tavistock Cup next week. After that we’ll see.”

Clarke triple-bogeyed the 17th in the second round of the Honda Classic when he was running with the leading bunch and while he shot 68 in the third round, he slithered down the leaderboard with a final round 74 and hopes for better this week as he bids to make the world’s top 50 in time to qualify for the Masters.

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Clarke made a good start to his week in Miami by taking the money off Rory McIlroy in a nine-hole practice round and after taking Tuesday off to go bonefishing, he feels refreshed and ready to go at Doral, where he withdrew after a first round 75 on his only appearance here in the 2006 Ford Championship.

Harrington’s underwhelming start the season has not fooled his rivals. Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who defends the CA Championship at Doral, is only mildly surprised the Dubliner has been overshadowed by Tiger Woods’ comeback from knee surgery and McIlroy’s meteoric rise to prominence.

But he expects things to change radically before Augusta. And Paul Casey has no doubt Harrington will make a serious run for the third leg of the “Paddy Slam”.

Casey is being touted as the Englishman most likely to don a green jacket since Nick Faldo won the last of his three Masters titles in 1996. But he’s not betting against the Irish world number five.

“He’ll sneak under the radar. I’d still put money on Pádraig,” Casey said. “I don’t think you should read anything into a couple of missed cuts from him early in the season . . . I think we should be worried.”