Padraig Harrington Cracks Driver Mid Round And Still Shoots Under Par

The third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship was filled with drama and has set up a thrilling climax going in to the final day on Sunday. However, one thing that will be different during the final round will be the driver head of three-time Major champion, Padraig Harrington.

The 50-year-old, who has endured a chaotic and busy 12 months, had been one-under-par for his third round at Yas Links before a rather unfortunate moment. About to tee off on the par-5 11th, the former Ryder Cup Captain noticed that the face of his driver had cracked.

Calling over a rules official, Harrington was told that he "was not allowed to change it as it wasn't cracked enough to be out of shape." As a result, Harrington played the last eight holes with his cracked driver. What is impressive is that he played them in three-under-par, ironically, birdieing the 11th hole in the process.

In a tweet following his third round, Harrington said: "Another strange ruling today. I realised the face of my driver was cracked on the 11th tee. I was not allowed to change it as it wasn't cracked enough to be out of shape. Drove it well enough for last eight holes. I've got a replacement head ready to go. #ADGolfChamps @DPWorldTour"

So, what rule was it that meant Harrington couldn't change his driver? In terms of the rules of golf, the rule 4.1b (3) states that "a player may only replace a damaged club if the player did not cause the damage. If the damage was caused by an outside influence of natural forces, the player may replace the club, but must take the damaged club out of their bag."

Although it may sound harsh, the three-time Major champion is on course for a solid showing in Abu Dhabi, sitting in a tie for 17th and only seven shots back of 54-hole leader Scott Jamieson.