Working with Sam Torrance no chore for Open champion Padraig Harrington

Jul 13 2008 Euan Mclean

THE Torrance family home in Largs has a small bedroom upstairs known simply as Padraig's room.

It sounds unremarkable enough and most of the time lies empty except for a few pairs of golf shoes, a handful of clubs and a couple of gym dumbells dotted around the floor.

Yet this is the base where Europe's first Major winner in eight years plotted his Claret Jug success at Carnoustie 12 months ago.

That Padraig Harrington has his own room at Bob Torrance's house says everything about the Irishman's all-consuming work ethic and his special bond with the coach who has become more like a father.

It's 10 years to the week since Harrington first hooked up with Bob at the Scottish Open - and he's now a surrogate member of the family.

Whether Bob and wife June's son Sam also has his own room at the house he bought for his parents many years ago is not known.

But what both men do have in common is they owe much of their success to the coaching expert known affectionately on tour as "the pro's pro".

As Harrington prepares to defend the Claret Jug at the scene of their first Open together - Royal Birkdale in 1998 - he paid tribute to his golfing Godfather.

And he may be hitting form at just the right time after warming up for the Major by yesterday retaining his Irish PGA title with a four-shot victory.

Padraig said: "There is a family feel at Bob and June's and they certainly feed me like they think I'm their son!

"Every time I go there the food is just colossal. They complain I eat too much but keep putting it in front of me.

"They have a third bedroom and I'm there so often I have shoes and golf clubs plus a few bits of gym equipment in it.

"It's all ready so I can just fly in and go to the range with Bob. It's like a second home and two days there is a break from the world.

"There's a huge amount of trust - Bob is like a father to me and I can seek advice from him about many things."

Over the years Harrington has spent more hours than he cares to remember on the practice range at Inverclyde in all weathers with Torrance.

If he had a penny for every time he has heard that gruff voice behind him he'd probably have earned enough to keep his tour card for life.

But that's the tireless commitment both men have revelled in since those early days working together at Birkdale.

Padraig said: "It's our 10-year anniversary this week but Birkdale in 98 was my first week working with Bob on changing my swing - and I missed the cut probably as a result of that.

"But I was the happiest man there. I was hitting balls in howling wind all weekend for eight hours a day thinking 'This is the greatest thing in the world'.

"I'm not as consumed now as five or six years ago because we've doneour work.

"These days it's just continuous maintenance work, checking I'm still in the positions I want to be.

"Bob has a tremendous eye and on the range prides himself on never missing a shot I hit. Sometimes you try to catch himout but no, he knows exactly what's happening and is as committed as I am which is so important.

"Bob is also a funny guy and astute in his mid-70s. He's a joy to be around.

"His coaching ability is second to none.

The way he can identify every player's strengths and weaknesses and treat them as an individual is fantastic." Sadly, after all those hours together on the range Torrance was not with Harrington to share in his greatest success at Carnoustie last year because he had already headed home for Largs.

Instead an emotional phone call to thank his mentor within an hour of that nailbiting play-off win over Sergio Garcia was their first contact.

Yet Harrington admits the presence of his own family - wife Caroline and sons Patrick and Ciaran - was the inspiration he needed to triumph. For 10 horrible minutes it looked like he'd blown it. A wayward tee shot on the 18th found the notorious Barry Burn and he dropped out only to hit into the water again.

A superb pitch salvaged a double bogey six but Padraig will never forget the sight that re-ignited his will to win just as he feared his big chance was gone.

He said: "Walking down that 18th fairway I was spiralling into the deepest hole in the world.

"I felt embarrassed, I felt I had choked.

I was devastated but my caddy did a great job in pullingme back out. He gave me a barrage going down that fairway - and the great thing is he thought I'd just lost The Open too but never let on.

"When I hit that pitch I was back in the zone but after I holed the putt I looked at the leaderboard and again felt that deep depression thinking I had lost.

"Then my son Patrick ran on to the green and looked at me as if I was the champion - and I reacted like I was.

"From there on I was convinced I was going to win The Open." Sure enough Garcia failed to get the par he needed down the last to clinch the title and revitalised Harrington comfortably won the four-hole play-off.

Now he returns to that stage with a different pressure as defending champ.

And after seeing first hand how difficult the extra expectation can be he is determined not to get sucked into trying too hard.

Padraig said: "I'm trying to downplay the significance of defending the tournament and the expectations and stresses that come with it. I realise there are extra duties but also that if I don't play well they won't take last year's Open away from me. I have nothing to prove.

"I played with Angel Cabrera at the US Open last month and felt there was extra stress on him because he was defending and trying too hard.

"I don't want to go down that road of feeling how I hit my tee shot on the first has any reflection on my win in 2007.

"I feel good about my preparation and will keep it as a separate event."