Jet-set lifestyle gives the elite the putting edge

IT would be a tough old station except they travel in luxury, are treated like royalty and then play four days of competitive golf on beautifully manicured courses for a great deal of money.

While you might wonder how people like Miguel-Angel Jimenez and Pádraig Harrington can get from Korea to Hong Kong to California in successive weeks and then play superbly they are looked after and look after themselves in such a fashion that one shouldn’t really be surprised at all they achieve. At the weekend, the 40-year-old Jimenez pipped Harrington for the top prize in the Hong Kong Open. The Spaniard hopped on the plane for this week’s Target World Championship at Sherwood Country Club, Thousand Oaks near Los Angeles €100,000 richer with his fifth title of the year under his belt and a career-best 14th in the world rankings.

Harrington last night admitted to being “disgusted” at his failure to retain his title in Hong Kong, while agreeing the runner-up spot meant he was sure of finishing the year in sixth place in the world and, almost incidentally, €52,287 better off. His frustration is understandable in that he broke 70 in each round, shooting 65, 68, 67 and 67 for 13 under and that still wasn’t enough to stop Jimenez.