Padraig Harrington has seen most things in his long and illustrious career but he had a whole new experience ahead of this week's D+D Real Czech Masters.
The Irishman has three Major Championships along with 12 other European Tour titles, an Order of Merit title and next year he will be Europe's Ryder Cup Captain, a trophy he has won four times as a player.
This week, however, for the first time in 32 years travelling the world playing golf, he lost his clubs in transit.
The clubs were lost in New York but arrived at Albatross Golf Resort on Tuesday night in time for Harrington to get out on a course where he finished second last season.
"First time in 32 years I've lost my golf clubs going to an event. I've been pretty lucky that way," he said.
Harrington has played five events this season so far after breaking his wrist over the Christmas period but insists that will not prove to be another distraction, and proved it last month with a stunning 63 in the opening round of the Rolex Series Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
"I've been injured this year with the broken wrist and I'm back playing for a few months now but they tell me it's going to be close to the end of the year before it's fully healed in the sense that I won't be thinking about it," he said.
"It doesn't seem to affect my golf swing. It affects me a little bit on some of the bunker shots and chip shots. I'm good to play, it's not getting in my head on the golf course."
Harrington and Andrea Pavan went out in the final group on Sunday last season with a three shot lead over their nearest rivals and went toe to toe in a brilliant battle.
The 47-year-old led by three shots at the turn but Pavan came home in a stunning 31 to win his first European Tour title by two shots.
"It was very tight last year, there was a great ebb and flow to that final round," he said. "It was exciting, the golf was good, it was low scoring so there was birdies as well. There was plenty of drama.
"I thought I always had it, all the way up to the 69th hole where I missed a short putt and then he holed a big putt on the the 70th hole and had a two shot lead with two holes to play. There wasn't enough holes for me to come back."
