GOLF/Qatar Masters: As the only representative of the world's top 60, Padraig Harrington will never be a stronger favourite for a tournament than he is for the Qatar Masters starting today.
But the Dubliner, not put off from playing by seeing so many of his European tour colleagues fly home from the Middle East with war looming, sounded a note of caution yesterday.
"My main battle is always with myself, not with whoever else is playing," said Harrington.
Like the other 149 players taking part - replacements have been found for all 50 pull-outs - the world number 10 can only get on with his career while everyone waits to see what action is taken against Iraq, whose border lies some 600 miles north of Doha Golf Club.
In the past two weeks Harrington has gone out in the second round of the Accenture World Matchplay Championship in California and finished a lowly 47th at the Dubai Desert Classic.
The next highest-ranked player in the field is Denmark's Anders Hansen, whose 64th position owes much to him winning the Volvo PGA championship out of the blue last May. After that it is 45-year-old Ian Woosnam - joint third on Sunday, but without a strokeplay title since 1997 - at 85th, and then another Dane, Irish Open champion Soren Hansen, at 95th.
The withdrawals have brought in so many relative unknowns that one experienced player said yesterday: "I'm afraid to talk to anyone in case I ask them who they are caddying for and they tell me they're playing."
Harrington knows one of the new faces, though. Fellow Dubliner Stephen Browne was called up on Tuesday after finishing 48th in the Zambia Open at the weekend. It earned the 29-year-old £284. Now he is competing for a first prize of £156,055.
That cheque will not unnerve Harrington. Three months ago he was picking up a million dollars for beating Tiger Woods in the world number one's own Target World Challenge in California.
Harrington says he feels much closer to his best, "but I'd love to see my coach (Bob Torrance) for a couple of days because I'm trying to figure out which of about four swing thoughts is the right one."
Harrington writes down detailed notes of every performance he gives and he also does his own statistical breakdown.
"On Sunday, for example, the official stats had me down for 26 putts in my 71. But I actually used my putter 31 times. My swing was wooden and I was struggling with the mental game. Obviously I want to be in contention this week and a weaker field does allow you to finish higher up, but I guarantee the winner will be the one who has played the best golf and you can never be sure who that is going to be."
