Padraig Harrington has become more comfortable with the belly putter since he first used it at Quail Hollow (above). Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ieAnother day, another frustrating experience for Pádraig Harrington on the greens in the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Texas.

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Pádraig Harrington goes to pick the ball out of the hole in Thursday’s first round. Pádraig Harrington has pulled out of next week’s BMW PGA at Wentworth which means that today’s final round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship will be his last round of golf before he begins his US Open build up, almost certainly at the FedEx St Jude Classic from June 3-9.

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Padraig Harrington, putting in the Byron Nelson Championship, is becoming more comfotable with the anchored stroke by the day. photo: kenneth e.dennis / kendennisphoto.com) www.golffile.iePadraig Harrington dodged a bullet in Texas when he made a three-putt bogey at the last but made the cut on the number after a nervous wait at the Byron Belson Championship.

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Padraig Harrington, pictured in practiced in Texas this week. Photo: kenneth e.dennis / kendennisphoto.com) www.golffile.iePadraig Harrington was forced to finish with a brace of unlikely birdies just to keep alive his hopes of making the cut in the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Texas.

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Rory McIlroy was not pleased with his 72 but knows he’s still not out of contention for The PlayersRory McIlroy showed his growing maturity and patience but Pádraig Harrington could be forgiven for rapidly losing after barely scraping into the last two rounds of The Players at Sawgrass.

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Updated on Friday, May 10, 2013 at 8:47 by Brian Keogh

Padraig Harrington had to rely heavily on his belly putter and driving to shoot 68 at Sawgrass’s Stadium CourseAs the golfing world licks its lips at the prospect of a genuine shootout between world No 1 Tiger Woods and heir apparent Rory McIlroy, Pádraig Harrington rose phoenix like from the ashes of last week’s Quail Hollow burnout to hole 102 feet of putts in an opening 68 in The Players at TPC Sawgrass.

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Pádraig Harrington lines up a putt on the ninth at Quail Hollow. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.iePádraig Harrington will give the belly putter a second chance in practice at Sawgrass this week before deciding if he will use it to try and banish the demons of his worst performance as a professional.

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Phil Mickelson chips to the 10th at Quail Hollow. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie.

Padraig Harrington’s landmark first event with the belly putter ended with another first - he finished joint last in a strokeplay tournament for the first time since he turned professional more than 17 years ago.

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Pádraig Harrington lines up a putt on the ninth at Quail Hollow. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ieWatching Padraig Harrington use a belly putter for the first time is a bit like watching Picasso use a paint-by-numbers kit to produce Guernica - you know it’s wrong but you just can’t look away.

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Padraig Harrington anchors his belly putter at Quail Hollow. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie.Less than a year after insisting that the anchored putting stroke was wrong and needed to be banned Padraig Harrington put his career before his ideals and used a belly putter in competition for the first time today. 

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