Harrington renews winning partnership

Padraig Harrington, normally to be found in Asia at this early stage of the season, is trying something different this time – and trying for a notable double.

Having won the Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews last October with racehorse owner and fellow Irishman JP McManus as his partner, Harrington has linked up with him again for the Pebble Beach Pro-am in California.

The US Tour event also features Harrington’s Ryder Cup team-mates Paul McGinley and Luke Donald, Brian Davis, Greg Owen, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh – but no defending champion.

That is because Arron Oberholser is still recovering from the back injury which forced him out after one round of the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii last month.

Oberholser, currently 50th in the world, is a doubt for the Accenture Match Play in Tucson in two weeks’ time.

That is restricted to the top 64 available players and with next Monday’s ranking the cut-off point McGinley at 82nd needs a big week to qualify.

He was the only member of Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team not to make it into the field for the American Express World Championship last September.