Harrington had to settle for a 69 in his first trip to Innisbrook.
It was the day before — a whirlwind trip to Washington for his favorite holiday — that kept him so upbeat. He explored various rooms in the White House, then went to a gala hosted by Obama and Ireland’s prime minister.
The only regret? Not taking the opportunity to greet the prersident.
“When it finished off, people obviously were going up to say ‘Hello,’ and I sort of stayed back,’’ Harrington said. “I missed the opportunity, but it will happen again. And the end of the day, it was just nice to be there. I was close enough, let’s say.’’
If the White House was a new experience, so was the Copperhead Course, with a strong reputation that grows each year. Harrington had never played the Transitions Championship, and while he had a practice round earlier in the week, his lack of knowledge showed at times.
On the par-3 17th, which played 224 yards into a cold wind, Harrington figured he could attack with a 5-wood only to realize there was a spine in the back of the green that made for a tough chip and led to a bogey.
“You don’t have to do very much wrong to drop a shot,’’ Harrington said.
That wasn’t a problem for Willis, who knows this course well from living about 40 miles up the highway. His trouble was getting into the tournament. Willis figured he would be a lock, but the field is stronger than ever — 14 of the top 25 in the world — and he needed a late sponsor exemption to get a tee time.
His round turned after getting into trouble on the 10th, where he drove into the trees and then went over the green. Instead of another bogey, he chipped in for birdie, the first of three in a row.
“Next thing you know, it was just birdie after birdie,’’ Willis said, who picked them up on the par 5s, and with a pair of 15-foot putts.
Another surprise came from Jeff Maggert.
Maggert was the seventh alternate at one point, and he was home in Houston Wednesday clearing out dead palm trees from his yard when he caught the last flight to Tampa.
