Harrington`s work ethic and swing change earns Tiger praise
Tiger Woods knows a thing or two about revamping the golf swing and has applauded Padraig Harrington`s decision to focus on his game instead of results since last year.
|Last Updated: Aug 08, 2009, 09:41 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Akron (Ohio): Tiger Woods knows a thing or two about revamping the golf swing and has applauded Padraig Harrington`s decision to focus on his game instead of results since last year.
Irishman Harrington, known for his workaholic approach, won the final two majors of 2008 before deciding to refine his downswing for the first eight months of this season.
He produced a string of dismal finishes on the PGA and European tours, including eight missed cuts, before finally running into form at this week`s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
"You have to make changes in order to get better," Woods told reporters of Harrington, who took a one-shot lead after firing a one-under-par 69 in Friday`s second round at Firestone Country Club.
"A lot of times you`re going to get worse before you get better. It`s a matter of other parts of your game trying to pick you up and understanding how to score when you don`t have your best stuff.”
"But you know it`s coming," added the 14-times major winner, who has twice revamped his own swing since turning professional in late 1996.
"You have to believe in what you`re doing and you have to believe that what you`re doing is right, even though people tell you what you`re doing is wrong.”
"It`s just that you`re going to get a lot of bombardment, not just from the media but from fans, from friends, family -- they`re going to always doubt and question you."
By his own lofty standards, Woods endured relatively lean spells after initially revamping his swing with Butch Harmon in 1998 and then doing so again with Hank Haney in 2003 and 2004.
He triumphed only once on the PGA Tour in 1998 before winning eight titles on the U.S. circuit the following year.
In 2003 and 2004, he failed to clinch a single major victory although he managed to pile up six tournament wins on the PGA Tour during that period.
"You`ve got to have the internal resolve to stick with what you believe is going to be right and you`re going to get better," said Woods, who carded a 70 on Friday to trail Harrington by five shots.
Harrington, who has not triumphed on any of the leading tours since clinching his third major title at the PGA Championship 12 months ago, agreed.
"That`s part of my nature," the 37-year-old Dubliner said. "I want to do it my way. That`s what`s got me here, that`s what will keep me going forward.”
"I`m not interested in standing still. I want to get better as a player. Now I`ve found what I was looking for and that freed up my mind to go back to working on the important things, the scoring, the short game, and my mental game."
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.