Darren Clarke is looking to kick-start his bid for a sixth successive Ryder Cup appearance with a good performance in next week's Joburg Open in South Africa.
The 39-year-old was due to play in the Royal Trophy in Thailand but a 15-day period of mourning to mark the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's elder sister means the matchplay tournament between Europe and Asia has been postponed.
Clarke has moved quickly to ensure he will still have competitive action by signing up for the South African event, co-sanctioned between the European and Sunshine Tours, which starts at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on Thursday.
"I went to South Africa before Christmas because I felt I needed to get competitive again and played pretty well in both events (the Alfred Dunhill Championship and South African Airways Open)," said the four-time Ryder Cup winner.
"I always enjoy my trips to South Africa and can't wait to play. I've worked hard over Christmas and I'm now looking forward to getting my year off to a fast start and putting myself into the Ryder Cup picture."
Meanwhile the British Open champion, Pádraig Harrington, is scheduled to launch his 2008 season at the European Tour's Abu Dhabi championship from January 17th to 20th, has made a habit of never disclosing his golfing ambitions.
"I don't want to be judged on what my goals are," he said during last month's Target World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, California, where he finished in 10th place, 20 strokes behind the winner and tournament host, Tiger Woods.
"At the end of the day, you've got to set some outlandish ones as well as some very immediate ones. I'm all for keeping them private and I will judge myself."
The most significant factor for the Dubliner as he prepares for his 2008 campaign is that he has proved he can win at the highest level.
"Now I know I'm good enough to win majors within myself," the 2007 European Tour player of the year said. "Before, I would have believed I could win a major but I would have thought I had to get a few breaks, get lucky or whatever.
"The Open shows that I can play within myself and win a major.
"It doesn't mean that every time I go into a major I'm going to win but certainly the last 18 months I feel that in about 50 per cent of the majors I brought my (best) game.
"If I can bring my game to 50 per cent of the majors I play over the next 10 years, that's 20 majors I'm going to compete in. And if I compete in 20 majors, I will win some more."
Angel Cabrera capped a memorable 2007 by adding the Argentinian Sportsperson of the Year award to his US Open triumph at Oakmont last summer.
The 38-year-old, his country's first winner of a major since Roberto de Vicenzo lifted the Claret Jug 40 years previously, beat tennis player David Nalbandian, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Rugby World Cup star Juan Martín Hernández in a poll of sports journalists.
"This was not only a great year for myself but it was the year of Argentine golf," said Cabrera, whose nine-iron approach to within inches of the flag at the 15th hole of his final round at Oakmont was voted the 2007 European Tour Shot of the Year.
"Ariel Cañete, Andres Romero and Daniel Vancsik all won on the European Tour, Miguel Carballo won on the Nationwide Tour, and they were among those who contributed to a great year for Argentine golf."
