GOLF:Padraig Harrington stood on the third tee of the West Course at Wentworth yesterday, a million miles from phone calls from the president. Three days into his reign as Irish Open champion, and a day after Dr Michael Smurfit had officially presented him with the Harry Vardon Trophy as Europe's number one of 2006 at the tour dinner, he was back to business, doing what he does best: playing golf.
Okay, yesterday was pro-am day - where Harrington's team partners included Jim O'Donnell, the Scot who is the managing director of BMW in Britain - and the really serious business won't commence until today's first round of the PGA Championship, but at least he was back getting reacquainted with a course that he has had a love-hate relationship with in the past.
On Sunday evening, the Harrington family decided to stay on at Adare Manor, treating themselves to a celebratory dinner in the Dunraven Arms across the road. That evening, President Mary McAleese called Harrington on his mobile to offer congratulations.
"It's definitely not the worst phone call to get. When the President or the Taoiseach is calling, there's normally a good reason. It's always a good sign," he remarked.
In fact, President McAleese's call was one of many.
Harrington's voicemail was full, and the text messages were non-stop. A lot of people, fellow professionals and personalities from other sports, wanted to let him know what his winning the Irish Open meant to them.
On Monday morning, once his son Paddy woke up, Harrington was, as he put it, "back to normal".
On Tuesday evening, he was picking up the award for his golfing deeds of 2006. And, yesterday, he was back out on the golf course, preparing for the tour's flagship event.
This week, in the BMW PGA Championship which carries a top prize of €725,000, Harrington has the added financial incentive of aiming for the €1 million bonus on offer to him should he follow up his win in the Irish Open by also winning here. "It'd be nice to get it, but I play for titles," he remarked, dispelling the notion that the promise of such a monetary gain would apply more pressure.
Of his win at Adare, Harrington continued; "I knew the Irish Open was a big event to me, but the only way to win it was to treat it like a regular event. It was only afterwards, after winning, that what it meant to everyone hit me. I suppose the tournament couldn't have asked for any more. It's obvious the crowds were up (on past years) and I assume they got the winner that they wanted. I do realise exactly the risk that Tom Kane took and it came off. Let's hope we get an even bigger and stronger tournament next year.
"I'm chuffed and very proud that I went into a tournament as favourite and played through it. That's a much harder task than going into a bigger event under the radar and winning."
There won't be the same pressure on him this week, or the same sense of expectancy. Last week, he was the highest ranked player in the field and just one of two (along with Lee Westwood) ranked in the world's top 50. This week, he is the sixth highest ranked player in the field. Who knows? Maybe he can slip in under the radar on this one.
