Padraig ninth in order of merit
Harrington’s second place behind Paul Casey brought his total of winnings for the season to €529,754 behind Ernie Els (€969, 510) and Casey (€596, 226) while his world status improved by one spot. He has been swapping between 8th and 10th since the season began.
Having finished second for the 19th time at The Belfry, Harrington moves on this week to the Deutsche Bank TPC of Europe in Hamburg where Tiger Woods bids for a hat-trick in the event with a prize fund of €2.7m, one of the biggest on tour this year. Unfortunately, the greens at Gut Kaden have been struck by disease and it remains to be seen how the stars cope with putting surfaces which the Tour director of operations David Garland accepts are well short of the desired standard.
The other Irish competitors are Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley, Ronan Rafferty, Peter Lawrie, Gary Murphy and Damien McGrane.
Meanwhile, Eamon Darcy has withdrawn from the seventh AIB Irish Seniors Open beginning at Adare on Friday. Darcy entered for the tournament but there was always a doubt about his participation given the prospect that he would be handed a place in the Bayer Advantage Invitational tournament on the US Champions Tour in the same week.
The Wicklowman needs to take advantage of every opportunity to compete on the American circuit as he pursues his ambition to win a full card on the vastly wealthy US circuit. He is just one place short of an automatic place each week and must finish in the top 31 at the end of the season to join the elite who tee it up on a regular basis. He has accumulated $158,000 from his two appearances so far, its own indication of just how much cash is available in the US circuit in comparison with Europe, a tour which is still very much in its infancy where prize money is concerned.
Darcy’s defection means that two of the three personalities used to front the publicity campaign for the Irish Open will not be in action at Adare. There was never much chance of Des Smyth being there as he is a regular in the States having won their Tour School last autumn. He never actually entered in the first place. Furthermore, Christy O’Connor Junior, the home club tournament professional and the other member of the promotional triumvirate, is troubled by a shoulder injury.
"It is causing me some trouble and I may need more treatment but I’m confident of playing at Adare. It’s a terrific course in great condition and is a superb venue for the Irish Open."
O’Connor admits that he would dearly like to add the 333,000 Seniors Irish Open to the Irish Open he captured on the regular tour at Woodbrook in 1975. However, he faces a mighty challenge given that the Japanese golfer, Seija Ebihara, winner for the past couple of years, is coming off the American circuit in the hope of completing a hat-trick. Denis Durnian, the runner-up 12 months ago, will also be there along with the likes of current order of merit leader Terry Gale from Australia; Neil Coles, Tommy Horton, Noel Ratcliffe, Ian Stanley, Bernard Gallacher, Peter Townsend, Maurice Bembridge and Antonio Garrido.
O’Connor Junior leads the home challenge which also features Denis O’Sullivan, Arthur Spring, Mick Murphy, Eddie Polland, Liam Higgins, David Jones, Paul Leonard, Joe McDermott and amateur Liam MacNamara.
Irish placings on the European Tour order of merit after the Benson & Hedges International: 3rd, Harrington €519,754; 14th, Clarke €257,206; 22nd, Lawrie €204,129; 30th, McGinley €169,341; 97th, Murphy €55,650; 147th, McDowell €26,800; 168th, McGrane €21,331.
World rankings, 9th, Harrington; 16th, Clarke.
European Seniors Tour order of merit, 1st, Terry Gale (South Africa) €65,317.
Leading Irish, 15th, Denis O’Sullivan €12,178; 22nd, Christy O’Connor Jr €8,391.
