EIGHT times a European Tour winner, Des Smyth is not easily impressed, yet he was when he played with John Harrison for the first time yesterday.
Matfen Hall’s director of coaching scored a one-over 73 in the first round of his PGA Seniors Championship debut at Slaley Hall to lie three shots off the pace.
Yet five putts of between 10 and 12 feet which slid within a hair’s breadth of the hole on five successive occasions between Harrison’s third and seventh holes – he started on the tenth tee – suggested an exciting three days may lie ahead.
Although Harrison is a former European Tour player, his better-known skills have been involved in coaching a string of top North East players, including the region’s only double European Tour winner Kenneth Ferrie.
To Irishman Smyth, one of Ian Woosnam’s vice-captains for the 2006 Ryder Cup win at The K Club, Harrison was just a new face on the 2010 Senior Tour, until they teed off in the same group on the Hunting Course.
Smyth said: “From watching John’s results so far I could see he was a good player, but I had no idea how good until I played with him. He is a fantastic golfer.
“I have never seen a better pure striker of a ball and I have played alongside golfers like Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Gary Player. and Seve Ballesteros.
“He has as much natural talent as any of those guys.
“I think he does not realise how good a player he is.” Harrison was two under with five holes to play before a spell of three bogeys in four holes, finishing with three birdies and four bogeys.
Smyth added: “That can happen even to the best.
“I was excited watching him and I am looking forward to playing with him again in the second round.”
Harrison, who goes off from the first tee on the Hunting Course at 12.30 today, said: “I feel the score was good enough to keep me in contention.
“It is nice of Des to say that. I was so excited about playing in this tournament, I drove to Slaley in my golf shoes without realising until I got here!”
Harrison was one roll of the ball away from a 10-foot birdie putt with his last shot , at the Sleeping Giant, the ninth hole, the hardest, and the stroke index one for club golfers.
But it was his sublime iron play which formed a large part of the reasoning behind Smyth’s words of praise.
Harrison set up that putt with a rescue club shot of 255 yards off the tee to be left with 202 yards to the flag. He drilled a four iron pin high.
He birdied his second hole, the 11th, by sinking a 20-foot downhill putt after a stunning 240-yard recovery shot, played with the ball above his feet on semi rough slicked by a brief shower.
And he closed his front nine by saving par with the help of a 210-yard four iron recovery shot to the par four 18th, off a hanging lie, that left him 20 feet from the flag.
Former world No 1 and Masters champion Woosnam is on the same score as Harrison among 12 players tied for 21st position with 73 – one shot behind Sam Torrance and one ahead of Sandy Lyle.
The co-tournament leaders, on two under 70, are Jamaican Delroy Cambridge, Argentina’s Luis Carbonetti and Glenn Ralph, from Surrey.
:: TEE-OFF time for the fourth and last round at Slaley on Sunday – England v Germany football day – has been brought forward by two hours.
The PGA said yesterday the tournament will be finished by 2.30pm – half an hour before the World Cup match kicks off.
This will enable fans of both sports to watch the match on TV, and they can now simply turn up for free entry to the golf, with a £5 parking fee.
Selected tee-off times
FIRST TEE: 8.10 Eddie Polland; 8.20 Delroy Cambridge; 8.40 Gordon J Brand, Eamonn Darcy; 12.30 Des Smyth.
TENTH TEE: 8.25 Sandy Lyle, Barry Lane; 8.35 Constantino Rocca; 8.45 Ian Woosnam; 12.25 Luis Carbonetti; 12.45 Gordon Brand Junior, Sam Torrance; 12.55 Glenn Ralph.
