Padraig Harrington, in isolation at home last week after contracting shingles, switches to America this week as he continues his search for a first victory since The Open last July.

Harrington plays with close friend JP McManus in the AT&T National Pro-am at Pebble Beach, Spyglass and Poppy Hill in California.

"I think I've played two tournaments in the last 10 weeks - I had a couple of illnesses that sort of stopped me in my tracks," he said. "I'm not 100 per cent competitive, but I'm 100 per cent ready to go."

While Harrington recovered last week, Tiger Woods captured the Dubai Desert Classic to make it five wins in a row going back to last September.

Asked about the possibility of Woods achieving a first-ever Grand Slam of all four majors in one season, the Dubliner said: "It doesn't matter if Tiger is the odds-on favourite to win the next 12 events — I'm going to play my own game, my very best game every time.

"If there are 155 guys in every week, I can't control them. I can't control Tiger. I can't control anybody else. The only person I can look after is me. And if Tiger wins the next 12 Grand Slams, as somebody was saying on the range up there, I'll pat him on the back and say 'well done'. My goal is not to worry about anybody else.

"It's up to you guys to create that interest and to put it out there that he's going to win the Grand Slam this year, that he's going to be unbeatable for the foreseeable future, and that's the story you've got to create.

"But as a player, I've got to keep away from that. Last year there were three other major winners. It's interesting that the prediction is he's going to win the Grand Slam when he won two a year for most years and he only got one last year.

"I think there's a good depth behind Tiger. He may be playing the best golf of his life, he may be the best golfer we'll ever see play golf, but I think it's a big challenge to do that."