Rotella still the key for Harrington

Padraig Harrington

More people are killed descending Everest than scaling the world’s highest peak, and Pádraig Harrington admits he’s fascinated to see how Rory McIlroy deals with the first major of his post-career Grand Slam achievement at a course tailor-made for his high-octane game.

Even after playing 775 events worldwide, the Dubliner (53) is keener than ever to sit down with mental coach Dr Bob Rotella ahead of his 86th Major start this week, so crucial is the mental game to world’s best golfers.

Rotella famously helped McIlroy end his 11-year Major drought and complete the career Grand Slam at Augusta National just 30 days ago.

But having won the Wells Fargo Championship four times at Quail Hollow, which hosts the 107th PGA Championship this week, Harrington is fascinated to see how McIlroy goes about trying to secure the second leg of the calendar Grand Slam.

“We're all waiting to see does this make more Rory more relaxed, or does it make him too relaxed?” Harrington wondered aloud as the rain hammered down on Charlotte yesterday.

“That's a fascinating thing. We'll wait and see. But this is a good golf course for Rory, for sure especially if it keeps raining.

Bob Rotella and Pádraig Harrington at The Open

“The softer the golf course, the higher you need to hit it, the further you need to hit it.  Rory's got a lot of strengths, but those are two of his big strengths, the height of the distance he hits it in the air.

“So if the rough is up, when it's wet, you'll need to be a long way down those fairways, if you're missing them. It would seem to play into his hands.”

There is arguably nobody who knows better how to deal with “the twin imposters” of victory and defeat than Harrington, who has yet to find form this year and arranged to see Rotella for a mental tune-up.

“Certainly Bob Rotella is coming in specifically to work with me for a few days, because I need that more than anything else, yes,” admitted Harrington, who insists he’s not yet a ceremonial player.

“I'm not wandering around and just waving at the crowd,” he said. “Normally, when I do my preparation, I'm pretty good.”

The good doctor was key to Harrington’s three Major wins but apart from McIlroy, he’s also working with Shane Lowry, who arrives at Quail Hollow on the back of a runner-up finish behind Sepp Straka in the Truist Championship.

Harrington is one of Lowry’s biggest supporters and while the Offaly man is no fan of Quail Hollow, the Dubliner sees no reason why he can’t be a factor this week.

Rotella has added McIlroy and Lowry to his roster of clients in recent years, which Harrington sees as a sign they are comfortable with their physical games and just looking for the edge that comes with being a world beater in the mental game.

“Usually you have to be happy with your game and your swing, and then you go, ‘Okay, what's missing? Is it the mental side’,” Harrington said. “So Shane is very comfortable with his game at the moment, and that's why you'd be buying more into that and Rory the same.

“Is it the cart before the horse? We all think we have to swing it well before we allow ourselves to think well. Sometimes maybe thinking well would help you swing well.”