Harrington has no worries over Woods

Padraig Harrington has no need to worry about Tiger Woods as he tries for the win tomorrow which will take him top of Europe’s Order of Merit.

Woods virtually gave up on his quest for a third successive victory in the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open in Hamburg today after a third round 70 kept him in a tie for 38th place.

At six under par he is nine behind Dubliner Harrington, whose own 70 takes him into the final round two ahead of Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell.

Harrington had been bogey-free as he built a three-stroke halfway lead, but he went into the lake at the long third and after running up a six the race for the £322,474 first prize was wide open again.

However, it was the last mistake he made as he strove to make up for the disappointment of last week’s Benson and Hedges International Open at The Belfry. Four ahead after 34 holes there, he lost by four to Surrey’s Paul Casey.

“I fell asleep a couple of times and at the third I got my just desserts,” said Harrington. “I was going to go for the green, then I decided to lay up and I didn’t give it any attention.

“It’s something I do occasionally over a boring shot. I lose focus and it’s something I need to work on.”

Woods has finished first, third, first and first on his last four visits to the event, but he has a different task on his hands tomorrow – trying to avoid his worst finish in a tournament for over four years.

Asked whether he still had a chance of winning the title again Woods, who five years ago came from eight back to beat Ernie Els in Phuket, replied: “Probably not. The way things are going there are too many guys ahead of me.”

He has not finished outside the top 40 in any event since he was joint 56th in the 1999 Bay Hill Invitational.

“I drove it poorly and consequently didn’t play the par fives well,” he said. “And again I didn’t make any putts.

“It’s frustrating because I’m hitting good putts. But that’s just the way it is here. I’ve just not got anything going.”

Woods, making his first appearance since finishing a disappointing 15th on his defence of the Masters over a month ago, plans only one more appearance before he also defends the US Open in Illinois on June 12-15.

That is the Memorial Tournament in Ohio in two weeks’ time and as a three-time winner of that title he considers it enough preparation for the second major of the year. Time will tell.

An orange Lamborghini was put at Woods’s disposal this week – in addition to an appearance fee reported at two million US dollars. But he has chosen not to drive it.

Reminded that he did try out a Maserati on a previous visit he replied: “It wasn’t that colour – it’s a little too flashy for me.”

McDowell won the Scandinavian Masters last August in only the fourth event of his professional career, but has not had a top 10 finish since.