Harrington keeps his cool after mid-air scare

By Brian Keogh

PADRAIG Harrington might be having trouble getting his career to take off again, but not even a piece falling off his private plane could ground him in Las Vegas this week.

The Dubliner updated fans on Twitter after the opening round of a sponsors' invitation in the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island in Georgia.

Jet

Posting pictures of the damaged underside of the Hawker private jet, he pointed out what occurred arriving in Georgia for the golf tournament.

"Shot 1-over today but still happy to be here. Have a look at what happened to the plane I was on, one hour into flight," he said.

Harrington, who was a vice-captain on the victorious European Ryder Cup team, flew from Las Vegas to Georgia last Sunday.

Sponsors McGladrey laid on a jet for Harrington, who had a pro-am commitment with them on Monday, to ferry him from the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open to this week's venue.

"I got here early Monday morning after an eventful trip from Vegas. A few of us were sharing a plane over so that we could play the Monday pro-am and about an hour into the flight, part of the engine cover came off and we had to turn back. Once we got back they were able to get a replacement part and we got going again," he wrote on Facebook.

His wife Caroline explained they were 40 minutes into the flight when "a piece fell off the plane. It was a type of door between the fuselage and the engine but Padraig said there no real panic and that the pilots weren't panicked".

hnews@herald.ie