108th US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPIT'S ALL about timing, isn't it? On Sunday evening, Pádraig Harrington boarded a private jet in Memphis, Tennessee, and crossed the three remaining time zones before touching down in San Diego, California, by which stage darkness had descended on the western state.

For the Dubliner, the journey was made with an increased sense of purpose. Harrington's endeavours in the St Jude Classic - where he secured a fourth top-five finish in seven outings on the US Tour this year, finishing just a shot outside a play-off that was ultimately won by Justin Leonard - appeared to put to bed any lingering doubts about his build-up policy towards this week's US Open at Torrey Pines, the season's second major.

Just as Tiger Woods has done virtually since he started life as a professional, and just as Phil Mickelson has done more recently in morphing into a player able to turn potential into reality, Harrington's preparations are all about getting things right for the majors.

It's why he felt obliged to turn his back on the BMW PGA at Wentworth, even if that move seemed to have backfired with a missed cut in the following week's Wales Open, the first of the three-week stint on the road preferred by Harrington in his hunt for majors.

Now, it would seem, all is right with Harrington's world as he prepares for what many believe will be the toughest test of any major this year.

Although he remains outside an automatic place on Europe's Ryder Cup team, Harrington's tied-fourth finish in Memphis has moved him up to 12th (from 14th) in the latest official world rankings and, more importantly, provided confirmation that his game - from driving to scrambling to putting - is in good shape as he seeks to improve on a fifth-place finish in the US Masters in April.

Winning that British Open at Carnoustie last July has only served to make him hungrier for more majors.

While admitting to being "disappointed" at failing to take advantage of birdie chances on the homeward run at Memphis on Sunday, which finished with a 20-footer for birdie on the 18th just shaving the hole, Harrington agreed that it was important to get back into contention again after a run that had seen him miss the cut twice (at The Players and the Wales Open) in his last three appearances on tour.

"From that side, it's all positive . . . what I set out to do (in Memphis), I did. My preparation was good and my game feels good. It's a matter of doing more of this (in Torrey Pines) and also maybe to putt a little bit better. It's all about getting your mindset right."

Harrington is one of just two Irish players in the field at Torrey Pines, where Chris Devlin, a 33-year-old former Ulster interprovincial who graduated from the University of Alabama and nowadays plies his trade on the Hooters Tour in the United States, has earned a major start after coming through final qualifying last week at Colombus, Ohio.

Devlin's first US Open appearance will see him partner Canadian Yohan Benson and another qualifier Brian Bergstol for the first two rounds, while Harrington has been grouped alongside US Open champion Angel Cabrera and Davis Love III.

Yesterday, while Harrington left arriving at the course until late, Devlin was one of the early arrivals, introducing himself to Sweden's Robert Karlsson and setting off from the first for a practice round with the in-form player of recent weeks on the European Tour.

Harrington, who has twice finished fifth in the US Open, at Pebble Beach in 2000 and at Winged Foot in 2006, comes here knowing that his game is suited to the demands of Torrey Pines . . . and also that he has a game capable of winning.

"At Winged Foot, my short game was very average and yet I still had three pars (from the 16th in the final round) to win. That showed me how far I had come in terms of my own game."

"I would suggest I have spent my last 10 years trying to adapt my swing to play US Open golf.

"I'd say the last two years, that the US Open and the Masters have attracted my attention more than anything else. Every time I go to the practice ground, those are the two events I am probably thinking about," said Harrington.

While Harrington arrived in San Diego and pitched up at the course yesterday for a first look, Tiger Woods - who underwent knee surgery on April 15th and hasn't played competitively since the Masters - returned to his early tee-time routine for a more detailed look at the course, having previously played some holes here last week and again on Sunday. Certainly, it looked as if his knee was holding up well in yesterday's practice.

Indeed, Woods and Adam Scott, who is grouped with him and Mickelson for the first two rounds, could well exchange some stories of their efforts to reach fitness in time for this major. Scott broke the small finger in his right hand just over a fortnight ago when a car door slammed on his hand. However, the Australian world number three - who hasn't played since the Players in May - managed a full practice round here on Sunday and looks set to take his place in that dream grouping for Thursday's first round.