Harrington pep talk for Rory

After leaving new sponsor Nike and banking giant HSBC as red faced as his new driver, what Rory McIlroy needs more now than a planned four-week break is more competition.

That’s the view of Pádraig Harrington who, in stark contrast to previous years, has now played two events in the first three weeks of January.

Harrington was delighted to finish fourth in Durban but slightly disappointed to have shared 23rd place in Abu Dhabi. And while he admitted taking a week off, which included hosting trainer Dave Aldred for two days in his Dublin home, the current world number 50 is quickly returning to competition by adding a first appearance in next week’s Phoenix Open.

McIlroy arrived in the UAE capital not having had a scorecard in his hand in eight weeks. But after he posted a shock pair of 75s after a four-day launch heralding his signing with Nike, the world number one is not scheduled to compete again to the February 20 starting WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

So at this stage there would be many punters prepared to bet on the present world number 64 Bernd Weisberger of Austria bundling McIlroy out in round one.

“There’s no substitute for playing in low-key competition,” said Harrington. “And while we are in discussion about Rory here, I will say the greatest way of doing it is low key. There’s nothing better than turning up and playing as it’s the ideal way to go out there and gamble.

“Ultimately, he’s got to get out and play bounce games. Get out on the course and he will know that. On a Tuesday, I hit the ball 30 yards shorter than I hit it during the tournament.” Harrington denied McIlroy is in a no-win situation should he elect to add an event but then fail to impress, as he did in Abu Dhabi.

“No, not at all because if Rory played great, it will be a win-win situation,” said Harrington.

“Of course, how last week went down won’t feel good to him because of the spotlight and the pressure but he’s got four weeks off to go and play in nice conditions and figure it out.

“The biggest thing, and he’s wise enough to know this, is that he can’t let anybody get in his head.

“That’s the biggest threat as I played a few holes in practice with him during last week and he was hitting it fine, so he just doesn’t want to let anyone get in his head.

“But then the problem of being world number one is he’s in the spotlight and the focus is there. As much as you try and keep your head down, the media is going to ask him the same leading questions. You get asked a question enough and that gets into your head.”

Harrington will head to Phoenix not only looking to improve his current world ranking but also taste the excitement of probably the noisiest hole in golf — the stadium-like 16th hole on the TPC Scottsdale course.

“I’m interested in Phoenix because of the 16th and I want to go and see it for myself,” he said.

“I don’t believe events should all be the same, and I believe it’s very important we seek out events that establish themselves a different way.

“Phoenix has done that so I’m looking forward to going there and it is one of the big plusses of going there is having another tournament under my belt. Every year I get to AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am and Riviera, that’s on a week after Phoenix, wishing I’d played a little more because I think the courses are perfect golf courses for me.”