UNBEKNOWN to Pádraig Harrington, there was a hardback book on the shelf in the Chart Room of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club entitled ‘Challenge’.

Europe’s Ryder Cup race could well be led on Sunday night by a player who has appeared in the continent just three times in the past five seasons.

HOLDER Graeme McDowell is chasing his first tournament success of 2011. Peter Lawrie is bidding to put his place in the Race to Dubai order of merit on the European Tour beyond any further doubt. Shane Lowry badly needs a big finish to get back among the top 60 who make it to the Emirates for the cash rich Dubai World Championship in December.

THIS time last year, Graeme McDowell was the toast of the golfing world.

THERE may be green, white and gold at the top of the Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland leaderboard heading into today’s second round but it belongs to an Indian, not any one of the four Irish Major champions who drew in the big crowds in Killarney yesterday.

Darren Clarke has won his first Major - the British Open - at the age of 42.

IRISH golfers have known their fair share of success over the years in the south of Spain and specifically at Valderrama where Ronan Rafferty and Paul McGinley have both captured the season-ending Volvo Masters.

GRAEME McDOWELL emerged from what he described as a war of attrition at Valderrama yesterday to capture his third title of a momentous season and appreciably narrow the gap between himself and the German Martin Kaymer in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai order of merit.

THEY’RE both from the North of Ireland, they’re both members of the Horizon Sports Management team – and they’ll be playing together in the last match on the course in today’s third round of the Andalucia Masters.

THERE is a delightfully green hue to the leaderboard at the halfway stage of the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama, with the final match in today’s third round involving Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and Gareth Maybin.

MEATH native Damien McGrane capped an outstanding day for the eight-strong Irish contingent in the first round of the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama when he birdied the 18th for a three under par 68 to join Graeme McDowell in 2nd place in the €€3 million event.

HAVING celebrated his 36th birthday with just a sole European Tour victory to his credit — the 2008 Spanish Open — it is unlikely Peter Lawrie will ever qualify for superstar status on the European Tour.

DAMIEN MCGRANE says it’s only by ‘the skin of his teeth’ he’s competing in the inaugural Dubai World Championship.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE, winner of eight European Number One titles, believes Rory McIlroy deserves to win this week’s season-ending Race to Dubai title.

The rib injury which blighted Paul Casey’s season now appears to have ended it - and the Ryder Cup star’s bid for a maiden Order of Merit title.

SERGIO GARCIA insisted yesterday he will again be doing what suits him next year — even if Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie would prefer him to be somewhere else.

AS Irish Open sponsors “3”continue their search for a suitable date for the Irish Open in 2010 with their preference currently heading towards the August weekend, they may take some consolation from the unfortunate situation in which another big spending European Tour sponsor, Volvo, find themselves.

Paul McGinley was a huge hit as a captain in Paris last week, but he wants to be an even bigger success as a player in Scotland the next four days.

PAUL McGINLEY is poised to end a four-year winless drought after producing his lowest opening two round scoring effort in 15 months in the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.

The European Tour’s return to the Czech Republic this week sees German Alex Cejka back in the country from which he and his father fled nearly 30 years ago.

Padraig Harrington admitted today he is in a race against time to have his game in good enough shape to win a third successive Open title.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE is expecting candidates for his Ryder Cup team to include the Wales Open on their schedules next year.

SHANE LOWRY may have escaped a fine but the European Tour has called on those clearly heard using bad language to be named.

MOBILE phone company 3, the new sponsors of the Irish Open, must be anxious at the lack of big-name foreign players who will compete in Baltray next month (May 14-17).

AFTER only one win in his first 309 European Tour events, Dane Soren Kjeldsen made it two in his last nine in Seville yesterday.

After only one win in his first 309 European Tour events, Dane Soren Kjeldsen made it two in his last nine in Seville today.

Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen warmed up for his Masters debut at Augusta – one he earned after an amazing last-day drama in December – with a dazzling 62 in Seville today.

Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen produced a dazzling run of seven successive birdies to turn a five-stroke deficit into a four-shot lead at the Andalucian Open in Seville today.

A well-rested Miguel Angel Jimenez believes he is in perfect shape to stage a successful defence of his UBS Hong Kong Open title this week and make a strong start to the Race to Dubai.

England’s Oliver Wilson, who has yet to claim his maiden career title, admitted his confidence is soaring after moving within a shot of HSBC Champions second-round leaders Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia.

Play on day two at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai has been abandoned due to rain and a waterlogged course at the Sheshan International Golf Club.

Soren Kjeldsen’s victory at the Volvo Masters has not only clinched him a place in next year’s US Open – it has also put him on course for a debut in The Masters next April.

The morning after the night before and Robert Karlsson is already setting about the task of defending his European Order of Merit crown.

Swede Robert Karlsson won Europe's Order of Merit today when Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington and Miguel Angel Jimenez all fell short of their targets.

Play at the Volvo Masters at Valderrama has been called off for the day at 6pm, leaving the final group with 30 holes to try to complete tomorrow.

Lee Westwood still hopes to have something to shout about before he has his tonsils out on Monday – a second European Order of Merit title.

Justin Rose has withdrawn from next week’s HSBC Champions event in Shanghai after returning to South Africa following the death of his grandfather.

Padraig Harrington and Lee Westwood failed to make the move they were hoping for when the rain-hit Volvo Masters resumed at Valderrama today – and that made Swede Robert Karlsson an even stronger favourite for the European Order of Merit title.

Lee Westwood found the trees with his first two shots and immediately suffered a setback to his European Order of Merit title hopes when the Volvo Masters resumed at Valderrama today.

Less than four hours’ play was possible on the second day of the European Tour’s season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama today because of heavy rain.

Play has been suspended at the Volvo Masters in Valderrama due to driving rain. Parts of the course have become waterlogged.

Padraig Harrington and Ian Poulter showed that good scoring was still possible in foul wet and windy conditions at Valderrama today, but for defending Volvo Masters champion Justin Rose things went from bad to worse.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington is facing an uphill battle in his bid to add the European Order of Merit title to his remarkable season.

SERGIO GARCIA produced a fine round of golf at Valderrama yesterday to stake a strong claim for the Volvo Masters.