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Harrington plays his second shot on the 10th hole during the first round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday.

By Kent Gray
As European Ryder Cup captain, Pádraig Harrington’s return to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic for the first time in 16 years was driven by a sense of obligation to those trying to play their way to Whistling Straits in September. After the opening round of the $3.25 million European Tour event, his talent reconnaissance mission might just become a smidgeon more internally focused.

An opening one-under 71 has the 48-year-old Irishman in the early conversation at Emirates Golf Club. He’ll start Friday’s second round four shots off Thomas Pieters’ lead and with those always present competitive embers suitably stoked.

History dictates a dramatic dip in form by those entrusted with the privileged burden of a Ryder Cup captaincy. There’s still a long way to go before Harrington will even entertain thoughts of a 16th European Tour title and his first since the 2016 Portugal Masters.

But all you can do is your best and that was pretty handy from the three-time major champion on a windswept opening to the 31st edition of the ‘Major of the Middle East’. It could have been so much better too.

“Yeah I’m happy because I finished strong. I four-putted the second hole today, my 11th, so at that stage, I had thrown away a few shots,” Harrington explained.

“I did the same at the par-5, 13th. I took four shots from nowhere. I was feeling bad. But it really got windy on that last nine holes and I made a couple of really good up-and-downs. I’m pleased with the finish.”

Harrington played the Desert Classic for seven successive years from 1997 to 2004, a share of second to 2001 champion Thomas Bjorn, the man he succeeded as European captain (and, sadly an injury retirement on Thursday), his sole top 10 on the Majlis.

There was little hint of what transpired on Thursday after Harrington fired rounds of 76-72 to miss the cut in Abu Dhabi by five strokes. But when the going gets tough, don’t discount one of golf’s grittiest grinders.

Harrington on the 13th Thursday. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

“If you want to sort all the professional golfers out, just give us firm greens,” he said. The chip on the last hole [the 9th after starting on the 10th], probably had 40 feet of green and all I’m worried about is chipping it in the water on the far side. Firm greens really sort us out and we find it difficult.

“If you do miss the fairways, coming into firm greens, it’s very difficult. I could see guys, if you get on the wrong side of things today, you would be moaning. If you’re on the right side, you’d think this is the way golf should be.”

Harrington’s playing partners for the opening 36 holes, by absolutely no coincidence, are sweet swinging Englishman Tom Lewis and Italian Renato Paratore who figured early in Abu Dhabi before settling into a tie for 21st.  While the captain outplayed both by two strokes, the fighting qualities displayed in matching 73s by Lewis and Paratore wouldn’t have gone unnoticied. With two Portugal Masters titles to his name but a missed cut in the UAE capital, the skipper will have been particularly pleased for Lewis.

“I’d normally play the Farmers [Insurance Open] in the States at this time of the year, but I want to be around the European players,” Harrington said.

“These are the big events on The European Tour; they always have been in the Middle East. As Ryder Cup captain, I felt I should come. I’m delighted to be here, as well. I think they are important events, but they are also some of our best events in Europe; the quality of the golf courses and the conditions, they are good events to play in for sure.”