Harrington slumps in opening round

Adjust font size:

MALLORCA, Spain -- Padraig Harrington's bid to steal a march on his European money-list rival Paul Casey went awry when the Irishman slumped to a seven-over-par 77 in the opening round of the Mallorca Classic on Thursday.

Harrington, who had added the event to his schedule in a bid to try to catch Casey, finished 11 strokes behind joint leaders Niclas Fasth of Sweden, South African Andrew McLardy and Ireland's Gary Murphy who lead the field by two.

That gives him scant chance of making a dent in the 218,185 euro he trails Casey at the top of the money-list.

"I didn't inspire myself with my ball-striking but I'll go out and try tomorrow," Harrington said after handing in a card that included a triple-bogey at the seventh, his 16th hole, when his ball went out of bounds.

While Harrington refused to blame his trip back to Wentworth on Wednesday to do a corporate day, having practised at Pula on Monday and Tuesday, he said a switch in conditions had foxed him.

"A change of wind direction from what I practised in put a little bit of doubt in my head and I made a lot of uncommitted swings," he said.

Casey is not playing at the Pula course this week, but Harrington could conceivably now have only one chance left to catch the Briton -- at next week's Volvo Masters.

However, Harrington insisted his Mallorca visit would still be of value, even if he does miss the cut.

"This is still very good preparation for next week at Valderrama. I tend to take a week to get ready if I take a couple of weeks off."

Harrington's playing partner and the title-holder Jose Maria Olazabal, who is redesigning the Pula course, also had a dismal day, firing a 78. The Spaniard believes he now needs "a miracle" to stay in the tournament.

Olazabal's chief woes came at the 17th, his eighth hole, where he hit two tee-shots out of bounds on his way to a quintuple-bogey nine.

In 2003 Olazabal lost the Mallorca Classic to compatriot Miguel Angel Jimenez because of driving out of bounds on the same hole on the final day and he joked: "I'm going to see if the owner will sell me the land so I can build a house on it."

Of the leading trio, who shot 66s, Murphy can gain most out of a good week. He lies 118th on Europe's money-list in the last event to count for the strugglers, currently the cut-off point for keeping a tour card for next year.

Tournament favorite Sergio Garcia, the 2004 Mallorca Classic winner, lies four strokes off the lead.

Get up-to-the minute news from CNN CNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more.

---

• Chinese activist in limbo at Tokyo airport
• Neighbor: Shoeless Tiger Woods snored on lawn
• Cashmore: 10 Web trends to watch in 2010
• Climate change threatens life in Alaska
• Guinea leader survives attack

• Irish PM to quit over payments scandal
• NATO chief: Afghan troop increase likely
• Militants hunted as calm retuns to Basra
• Pressure on Bush to skip Olympics
• BA sending misplaced T5 baggage to Milan

• Recruiting suicide bombers (2:50)
• London was lucky (2:36)
• Cars in London rigged as bombs (3:48)
• Second explosives-packed car foun (2:32)
• Soviet culture returns (3:47)