Harrington misses World Mach Play spot

Padraig Harrington missed out on a place in the HSBC World Match Play championship today.

A week after winning four points out of five in Europe’s Ryder Cup thrashing of America the world number eight needed a top-eight finish in The Heritage at Woburn to knock team-mate Thomas Levet out of the 16-man field for Wentworth.

He was joint 32nd with a round to go and a closing 70 was never going to be enough.

“If you had told me the result before I played I’d have taken the week off, but the World Match Play is very big now and I wanted to get in it,” said Harrington. “It gives me a week off now, though, so there is a bright side to everything.”

Levet and Miguel Angel Jimenez qualify for a shot at the the biggest in golf – off the European Order of Merit, while Scotland’s Scott Drummond and Argentina’s Angel Cabrera will be there as well from their performance in designated European tour events.

They finished first and second at the Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth in May.

Also playing are defending champion Ernie Els, world number one Vijay Singh, British Open champion Todd Hamilton, US Open champion Retief Goosen, Lee Westwood, Mike Weir, KJ Choi and Jeff Maggert.

However, with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Davis Love, Shigeki Maruyama and Justin Leonard having already turned it down, the four remaining places have still to be filled.