Harrington targets return to form

France Open, Le Golf National, Paris
Date: 2-5 July
Coverage: Leaderboard and reports on the BBC website. Live on Sky Sports.
Golf on the BBC

Padraig Harrington is desperate to recapture his form at the France Open as time ticks down to his Open title defence at Turnberry in two weeks.

Harrington has missed his last four cuts as he suffers a slump in form following changes to his swing.

"If I am going to play well in the Open it has got to start now," said Harrington ahead of the tournament in Paris, which starts on Thursday.

"I'm running out of time but I am always optimistic."

The US Open was the last tournament Harrington played but he carded two rounds of 76 and missed the cut, eventually finishing joint 137th out of 156 players.

"I still believe I am going to be ready," added Harrington. "But, then again, I thought I would be ready for the US Open."

Harrington is without a top 10 finish since January and is ranked 195th out of 212 in driving accuracy on the European Tour this season.

606: DEBATE
Who do you think will win the France Open?

The Irishman has been using different drivers and has spent time with coach Bob Torrance to try to iron out problems that have undermined his game since he made changes to his swing.

"At the US Open my backswing had totally gone off," said Harrington.

"We were not trying to change that, but I was focusing so much on my downswing.

"Last week we were doing a lot of covering of old stuff, putting things back in position.

"For my preparations to be spot-on I should not be tinkering with my swing. I am well capable of winning when I have not prepared properly, but it reduces the chances."

Harrington will be competing in a strong field that includes Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Soren Hansen in France.

After the tournament, Harrington defends his Irish Open title before heading to Turnberry.

"I do need these two weeks to show myself some form. Having not performed very well I need a certain level of confidence going into the Open and it's important I show signs of having control over the ball," he said.

"I'd like to score well too, but other things can affect that. I don't need the results, but I do need to play well."

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
European Tour
PGA Tour
BBC golf blog
Golf on the BBC
Golf tips
Golf rules and equipment
Latest golf discussions on 606
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites