Harrington focuses on top spot

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON last night revealed that he will leave nothing to chance in his all-out bid to lead the European PGA Tour order of merit this year.

Harrington is already in Spain in good time to prepare for this week’s Madrid Open and from there he will travel on to Rome for next week’s Italian Open. Harrington hadn’t originally planned going to Italy but believes any points he might pick up over the next couple of weeks could prove crucial when it comes to leading the way in Europe after the Volvo Masters at Valderrama on November 7-10.

“If I had a long week at the Cisco World Matchplay Championship it would have been a different matter but I was knocked out on Friday and will have every opportunity to get myself into good shape for both Madrid and Rome,” said Harrington, who yesterday signed an agreement with Bord Fáilte to promote Irish golf tourism throughout the world from now until 2006.

“At the moment, I’m about 50,000 behind Retief Goosen on the money list. If I can edge ahead of him by the end of the Italian Open, then all I have to do then is finish ahead of him at Valderrama.

“It’s a strange situation, really. Now I’ll have both Retief and myself to focus on. He’ll be defending his title this week at Club de Campo, a course he obviously likes. But I’ve won there twice, including my first victory in the Spanish Open in 1996, so it should suit me as well. Ernie Els, who is in between Retief and myself in the order of merit at present, has stated he won’t play again in Europe this year but, who knows, he might well turn up at Valderrama.

“Leading the European order of merit for me is second only to winning a major championship, that’s up there on a pinnacle, but the order of merit is next in my list of ambitions. So I must give myself every chance of doing it and that’s why I’m changing my plans and going to Italy. The chances are that they will pair Retief and myself together for the first two rounds in Madrid. The television boys will want that, it will give them something to talk about. He is a very quiet guy, on and off the course, and to be honest I like to partner a talkative player because, I suppose, I do a lot of talking myself. My caddy will have to fill the gap.”

The only other Irishman to lead the order of merit was Ronan Rafferty in 1989, the year in which he won the Volvo Masters to make absolutely sure of the title.

After seven years of Colin Montgomerie’s supremacy through the 1990s, Lee Westwood assumed the mantle in 2000 and was followed 12 months ago by Goosen.

Harrington’s latest sponsorship deal shouldn’t cause too many problems given that he has always been a wonderful ambassador for golf in this country. At the recent American Express World Championship at Mount Juliet, where he is tournament professional, his own game suffered to some extent by the attention he paid to the visiting golfers in ensuring that they were all happy and at ease in Co Kilkenny.

“I will do everything I can physically and in a tangible way to promote golf tourism to Ireland,” he assured Minister for Sport John O’Donoghue and the assembled gathering in Dublin’s Davenport Hotel.

“I will be representing my country, what more could you want, and I have to say it’s something I am very proud of. It is always great to be associated with something you believe in. I am passionate about Ireland, its golf courses and related attractions.”

Minister O’Donoghue didn’t conceal his delight at the alliance between the world’s sixth ranked golfer and the tourist board.

“This is a significant partnership between Ireland and one of its great sports stars,” observed Mr O’Donoghue. “Golf tourism has proved a very important growth sector in recent years and with the great showpiece of the Ryder Cup coming here in 2006, Padraig will prove a most effective advocate of golfing in Ireland and also the wider Irish holiday.

“Golfing holidays are now worth some 144 million to the Irish economy with around 220,000 people coming here annually. Just as importantly, the development of new courses has helped to spread tourism to regions that would not traditionally have benefited in this way. A major promotional programme has been planned for the next few years to capitalise on all the opportunities the Ryder Cup will bring to Ireland.

“Padraig has agreed to be an integral part of this process. For the next three years, he will carry a Golfing in Ireland logo on his golf bag, will appear in various media advertising campaigns promoting Irish tourism and support various Irish Golf Tourism events around the world. And, of course, he will do what he has always done best - speak honestly and passionately about Ireland.”