Golf: Pádraig Harrington has revealed the strained nature of his relationship with Ryder Cup team-mate Sergio Garcia, describing the Spaniard as "the antithesis of me".

The pair have been Europe's most prominent golfers over the past few years, with Garcia currently ranked second in the world and Harrington fourth.

They have also been direct competitors on the biggest stage, with Harrington pipping his rival at the British Open last year, when both were bidding for their first major, and the US PGA this summer.

"We have zero in common, bar the fact that we both play golf. He is the antithesis of me, and I am the antithesis of him," said the Dubliner in today's Guardian.

"We play the game in exactly the opposite way. He is destined to find the long game easy and the short game hard, and I am the opposite.

"We're also competitors who for the last few years have been vying over who is the number one golfer in Europe.

"I think in the hearts and minds of a lot of people Garcia would have been number one, while I have been ranked number one. As you can imagine, no quarter is given.

"It is not as if we have ever had a row or a run-in. I have had plenty of run-ins with people and we would be friends but (with Garcia) it is just, well, we are so much the opposite of each other."

Harrington will bid for a third successive major at the Masters next spring, and he is hoping Tiger Woods' return following knee surgery will take the pressure off somewhat.

"It will be the hardest event to win in my whole life simply because of the expectations that will be there," he added.

"Thankfully, Tiger is coming back and he will be the big focus of the week. But still there will be a huge amount of pressure on me."