Punters Beware: Harrington The "Inveterate Tinker" Has A Quieter Mind These Days

And not mentioned in Kevin Garside's story on current 20-1 candidate Padraig Harrington: the super slow, rain-soaked greens at Lytham which should be an asset for someone who has been a bit iffy on faster greens recently, including during a run in the Masters this year.

Experience has taught him how to attack the week of a major. Rejuvenated by Cowen’s swing enhancements, augmented by Alred’s focus techniques, buoyed by measurable improvements, the gap between theory and practice has narrowed, making Harrington the stealth pick at Lytham, a track the players respect more than love.

“Every player, no matter what the preparation is, they must feel when they get there that they are ready,” says Harrington.

“You can’t get to Wednesday evening and start panicking that you need to do more. You have to have a calmness about you, the feeling that what I have is good enough.”