Reigning champ looking for spark

Although not as nightmarish as David Duval's turnaround in form after winning the 2001 Open Championship, Padraig Harrington's career seems to be following a similar script ever since he won the PGA Championship last year. The win in Oakland Hills – which made him the first European champion of the fourth Major of the season in 78 years – came three weeks after a brilliant final-day display at Royal Birkdale gave a second straight Open Championship to the affable Irishman and denied Greg Norman a slice of history. Since that historic August evening in Michigan, Harrington has played 21 tournaments. His best result has been a tied-second (at the Barclays Singapore Open in November 2008) and he has missed eight cuts including the US Open and the Irish Open. In 2009 to date, he has only one top-10 finish, which came in his first tournament of the season (at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in January). World No3 after the PGA Championship, Harrington has now dropped out of the top 10 and resides in 11th position. As the 37-year-old Dubliner heads for the back nine of the season – as far as the Majors are concerned – things are definitely looking bleak as he attempts to defend both the titles he won last summer. On the eve of the 109th US Open at the Black course of Bethpage State Park last month, Harrington was categorical that he wasn't worried about the downturn in his golfing fortunes. "The results are very much a reflection of how I've played," said Harrington. "I haven't played very well, and certainly haven't made things happen. "There has been a bit of focus on work I have been doing on my swing. In fairness, I've done that work all the time at different stages in my career. But the difference is that I'm a little bit more high profile now and the spotlight is on me and people are noticing that I'm doing it. "I was No3 in the world. I wanted to get better, and the way to get better is improve things and change things, and if that means I step back a bit, that's OK in the short term. "I would have liked to have come out just a little quicker, and certainly I didn't intend to drag it so far into the season." Harrington had high hopes of finding his rhythm back at Bethpage. There was also a bit of ego involved having been drawn in the highest profile group along with Tiger Woods and Angel Cabrera, all reigning Major champions. But caught in the wrong end of the draw, Harrington crashed out with successive rounds of six-over 76 – his fifth missed cut in past six starts. After the round, Harrington was understandably disappointed, but even amid all the doom and gloom he found a silver lining. "It's hard to take anything positive out of this," he said. "I've had a bad run for the last four months, but I've improved elements of my game that have been annoying me. I just have to wait and let it come back." "I have sorted out a putting issue that has bothered me for a couple of years and a bunker issue that has been a real struggle for the past couple of years. "All that will make me a better player going forward," added Harrington. "It can come round in a day. This game is fickle in that way, but I believe that it can come around in four weeks and that, by the time I tee it up at the Open, I will be ready." One man who firmly believes Harrington is about to turn the corner is his mental coach Dr Bob Rotella. In a recent interview, the famous sports psychologist said: "Although I think Padraig got a little bit lost trying to get better, I absolutely loved where he was at the end of last week, even in missing the cut [at the US Open]. After achieving great success, it's not uncommon for players to tell themselves: 'Now I want to get really good'. "Gradually, however, they find out they're already good enough and that they should stay with what they've got. "Padraig and I felt good that he was finally back to being totally committed to just going and playing golf. He has that analytical tendency, which is part of his strength and also part of his weakness. And every once in a while it's going to get him. "It's probably the case that he has to try some things to find out he shouldn't have tried them. But, by the British Open, I'm sure he'll be right – mentally and emotionally. There will be no more fiddling around." Talking about the technical aspects of the game that are troubling him, Harrington admitted: "I don't have any shape [on my shots] at the moment. When you're not playing well, it's not easy to play with no shape. "That's something for me to look into. I've only got half the fairway to look at because I don't know which way it's going to go." It's something that can be worked upon in a few days alongside his coach Bob Torrance. Whatever the outcome, nobody will take Harrington lightly, especially in an Open Championship to be played on a classic links course. Even last year when he won at Royal Birkdale, the Irishman arrived for the tournament with just three top-10 finishes in the period between January