USPGA TOUR BUICK INVITATIONAL:PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON looked more like a battered boxer than a major champion as he prepared to return to action in the Buick Invitational in San Diego today.
The Dubliner turned up at Torrey Pines with sticking plasters above and below his right eye after undergoing surgery to remove two non-malignant sun spots two weeks ago.
Harrington went under the knife to have a sun spot removed in April 2007. But his wife Caroline assured his fans that the new sun spots are not a cause for concern.
She revealed: “He had more of the sun spots removed two weeks ago – one above the eyebrow and one below. They tried to treat it with a cream when he had the other one removed but it didn’t work so they removed them the week before last.
“He went to Bon Secours Hospital in Glasnevin to have them done and then went back on Friday to the Blackrock Clinic to have the stitches removed, hence the plasters.
“They are non-malignant melanomas, just like skin spots. It’s just better to have them off.”
Harrington ended up with a two-inch scar when he was first treated for sun spots in April 2007.
At the time he revealed: “I had about a square inch of skin taken out with some roots and all that sort of stuff. I’m told it’s like the third form of skin cancer. It was not a melanoma. I’d keep catching it with my hat and if I rubbed it off with a sweater it would bleed and seep a bit. It was just something that needed to be dealt with.”
The Dubliner will make his seasonal debut on the PGA Tour at Torrey Pines’ North Course (the easier of the two) alongside world number 11 Camilo Villegas of Colombia and American Marc Turnesa.
Harrington starts a run of four American tournaments in a row today with the calm disposition that only comes from knowing your last three tour titles were all majors.
Bringing his game to a peak at the Masters in April, when he will try to become just the third player in history to win three different majors in a row, is what it is all about.
To emulate Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods, who at Augusta in 2001 went on to complete the “Tiger Slam”, would be a dream come true for Harrington.
But the reality of the moment is that, in the continued injury absence of Woods, he is inevitably one of the favourites for the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines.
The San Diego course is where Woods, effectively on one leg, achieved his unforgettable 14th major at last June’s US Open.
It is also where he won the last four Buicks, six in all – plus six world junior titles.
Harrington finished 36th last summer and has never previously played this tournament, but his two Opens and especially his British Open and USPGA double mean his every move is now followed.
On his first appearance of the year he finished joint fifth in Abu Dhabi three weeks ago.
The result was fine, but he felt he had left plenty of room for improvement.
“There’s work to be done – a lot of work to be done,” said the world number three.
“The score (17 under par) flatters me to be honest.
“There were plenty of mistakes, but you obviously get a good idea how you stand after your winter break and I’m happy with what I saw.
“I’m always anxious before every tournament and I had no idea what my game would be like coming out.
“With two more weeks of practice hopefully I’ll be a little bit more comfortable getting into the flow of things.”
Phil Mickelson goes straight in at the deep end on the South Course, as does Luke Donald, whose mind is sure to go back to suffering the wrist injury in the US Open which put him out until December. “I was on the 15th tee on the Sunday and I just felt a pop,” he recalls.
“On the positive side I felt like my swing was slipping into some places that I didn’t like in 2008 and the injury gave me time to reflect upon what I needed.”
Buick Invitational
Courses:South and North, Torrey Pines GC, La Jolla, California.
Length:South, 7,568 yards, par 72; North, 6,874, par 72.
Prize-money:€4.1 million, €742,000 to winner.
Field:156.
Defending champion:Tiger Woods won by eight shots but is out injured.
Past winners taking part:Phil Mickleson (3), Bog Tway, Davis Love.
On TV:Live on Setanta all four days, starting at 8pm tonight.
Weather:Cloudy with rain likely for all four days.
