Harrington had help of night nurse Lefty's laser
Padraig Harrington in relaxed mood as he answers questions at a press conference in Dublin yesterday
Saturday July 26 2008
Phil Mickelson played a major part in Padraig Harrington's historic Open Championship defence at Royal Birkdale last week -- not as a swing doctor but as a night nurse.
Speaking after a press conference at the Dublin headquarters of his sponsors Bank of Ireland, Harrington revealed Mickelson answered his SOS by personally giving him treatment for the wrist injury that threatened to derail his title challenge.
Remembering that the left-hander had his very own portable light laser treatment device since injuring his wrist last year, Harrington headed to Mickelson's Southport hotel suite for several late night treatment sessions.
And while he's not ungrateful for the American's help, the new world No 3 had no qualms about announcing his plans to dethrone Mickelson as No 2.
Treatment
"I got his number and rang him on the Sunday of Loch Lomond," Harrington revealed. "He set it up and told me what I needed to do. I got the treatment in his hotel room suite every second day.
"I said nothing about it during the Open because I didn't want him getting distracted by people asking him about it. But it certainly helped."
On the eve of the Open, Harrington waited for Mickelson in the lobby of the luxurious Vincent Hotel at 10pm before going up for a half-hour treatment session in the American's suite.
Their chats were dominated by talk of private jets with the Dubliner revealing yesterday that a renegotiation of an existing contract with one of his sponsors will speed up his bid to join the golfing jet-set next year.
A luxury Gulfstream could cost him between $45m and $60m and while Harrington knows it is a massive extravagance, he reckons it might be worth the financial risk if it improves his chances of winning more Majors.
He said: "While there is nothing I could want for financially, you can always find something and a jet would be it. It would make my golfing life easier and it would make my family life easier.
"It is not going to happen in the next month but a new contract with an existing sponsor could be renegotiated and ear-marked for the purchase or running of a jet. It would make my golf better and that's why I would do it."
Harrington could do with a jet right now as he must fly out to the US for next week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron with his entire family on a commercial airline.
Billionaire
He said: "There are a pile of us and it will be a stressful day. If it was a private jet, you fly in and out and the stress of it all is immensely relieved.
"If I was to charter a private plane it would cost $120,000 one way to charter a plane -- so that's $240,000. If you owned a plane, the cost would be $30,000 each way."
Like the American billionaire Warren Buffett, he still reckons it is not a justifiable expense, explaining: "It will help you play better golf but it won't be justified financially. Warren Buffet calls his plane The Great Unjustifiable. I don't think I will be able to justify it either."
As for his golfing ambitions, Harrington confessed that he began plotting his way forward in the world rankings in front of the shaving mirror.
"It did cross my mind what I needed to do to catch world No 2. Certainly to get to world No 1 you have to get to world No 2. It's a tough battle to catch Phil there, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind the competition. It will probably push both of us on."
For the second season in a row, the Dubliner's end of season schedule won't include the Mission Hills World Cup of Golf in China, opening the door for the next highest ranked player, Graeme McDowell, to pick his own partner.
The PGA Tour's season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii is also off the radar and he plans to wrap up his year in early November and come out earlier than ever next year to launch a concerted assault on the green jacket in 2009.
He said: "This year the thinking might be to stop playing in early November and take that break in November and December. This year I felt like I could have done with an extra event or two going into the Masters. So an earlier start next year is ideal."
- Brian Keogh
