Ayrshire, Scotland (My Sportsbook) - Padraig Harrington, the two-time defending champion, opened with a one-under 69 on Thursday and is tied for 37th at the British Open Championship.

Harrington enjoyed a rather calm first round at Turnberry in rather calm conditions. With almost no wind blowing, the Irishman recorded two birdies, including one at 17, and a bogey at 16 for his sub-par round.

"I would've taken the score before I went out, that's for sure," said Harrington. "Anytime you shoot in the 60s in a major tournament, you can't be too displeased."

Harrington won the last two claret jugs and last year's PGA Championship en route to Player of the Year honors. He captured all of the limelight in 2008 with Tiger Woods on the shelf after knee surgery.

The 2009 season has been a different story.

Harrington started the year with a tie for fifth at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, but that's been the lone highlight.

The Irishman has zero top-10s outside Abu Dhabi. He tied for 35th at the Masters and shared 49th at The Players Championship. That was the last cut made for Harrington and it came in mid-May.

"I would say I hit the ball well, but played with a certain amount of trepidation," admitted Harrington, who missed eoght out of 17 cuts worldwide this season. "I wasn't exactly the most confident after the last couple of weeks.

"I hit a lot of nice shots where I was aiming in the middle of the green. I didn't really have the confidence to chase the pins."