Torrance tips Harrington for US success

By Brian Keogh

Swing genius Bob Torrance reckons Padraig Harrington can step up and win Majors in the US.

The Dubliner now has two Open Championship trophies on the breakfast table but the veteran Scot, 76, is convinced his star pupil can win the Masters and the US Open.

Pulling on his ever present cigarette, Torrance growled: "I think Padraig has the ability to win anything he wants to win. I think he will win the US Masters and I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins the US Open as well. He’s got the capabilities and mindset to win."

While there are 40 years between them, the Scot and the Irishman are one of golf's greatest partnerships.

And Harrington has no hesitation in describing his coach of 12 years as a genius - even better than a swing analysis computer.

He said: "As far as I am concerned, Bob is the best swing coach in the world. He can tell everything that’s going on in a golf swing and what consequences that has.

"He has studied every swing out there and his knowledge of the sequence of the swing and what needs to change first in order to change something else is second to none.

"It’s not just about putting a golf club into position. It’s about creating something that creates those positions and through his experience, he has spent his whole life examining the golf swings everyone has got.

"Obviously, I have total trust in what he says to me but if you really want to see his genius you have to see him analyse any golf swing and he’ll tell you what a player is capable of doing and what he can’t do in terms of how he goes about changing his swing.

"We can see somebody working on something and I’ll say it to Bob and he’ll say well this is going to cause this in his swing and that is going to happen and he can go through the whole sequence because he has studied everybody’s golf swings and he has spent his lifetime looking at them.

"His knowledge of the cause and effect in a golf swing is just incredible. I’ve done some work in the ‘States and with Paul Hurrion on biomechanics and it’s amazing how anything Bob says fits straight into the computer programme of how technically you are meant to swing a golf club.

"So it’s interesting to have the eye of the genius matching up with what the computers say."

Torrance's wife June explains that Harrington is the dream pupil her husband had been waiting his whole life to coach.

And the Scot agreed, explaining: "There are never any arguments or grumbling if he hits the ball bad. He just says 'I’ll practise harder and I will get it right’.

"I’ve always wanted a young talented guy who was prepared to work and after a month of working with Harrington, I’ve got one."

Harrington used to visit Torrance at Largs for coaching, but since last year's Open win at Carnoustie, the Scot travels to the Dubliner's home range these days.

Smiling, Harrington said: "You know what, I must be moving up in the world. The only time I went to Largs since last year was to bring the trophy over for two days last December for the other guys I meet over there.

"Bob and June like to come over to me to see Padddy and Ciaran so they come over to me for two days during every period of time I take off.

"We kind of get in three sessions every day, morning, afternoon and evening. It kind of works very well because of the schedule I’ve been keeping around the world, it’s been a little bit easier on me for Bob and June to come to Dublin. They get to see the kids as well, which works well."