Let the final battle commence

GOLF: When he was put in the hot seat, and asked the question, Padraig Harrington didn't bat an eyelid

GOLF: When he was put in the hot seat, and asked the question, Padraig Harrington didn't bat an eyelid. A day before the season's final counting tournament started, the Dubliner was asked if he'd rather successfully defend his Volvo Masters title, or win the European Tour's Order of Merit? The reply was succinct, and emphatic.

"The Order of Merit," he said, and the way he uttered the words left no room for argument.

The thing is, he may well need to win here to claim the Order of Merit. In a field of just 66 players - and there is a growing belief among many of them that even that figure is too high - Harrington is involved in virtually a head-to-head battle with Retief Goosen, who is ahead of him in the moneylist by €23,119. In the great scheme of things, with over €3 million on offer this week, that is a pittance.

As if there wasn't enough intrigue, especially after the South African's unwise choice of words in recent weeks when he labelled Harrington the slowest player on tour, they've also been paired together for the first round.

READ MORE

That the two should find themselves fighting it out for the distinction of topping the moneylist is itself a tad strange. Not since Sandy Lyle won the second of his three Order of Merit titles in 1980 has it been won by a player who managed just one victory all season - yet that is precisely the situation this time round, unless, of course, either Harrington or Goosen wins here.

Harrington is determined to give himself every chance. Indeed, his desire and hunger to win the Order of Merit can be gauged from a couple of incidents over the past few days. On Sunday, he finished with a closing 63 in the Italian Open. Yet, after many players had long since departed the scene, Harrington was left on the practice ground in Rome, seeking perfection and attempting to sort out some glitches.

Here, on Tuesday evening, he was also last on the practice range and, yesterday, had some 30 mosquito bites on his back to prove his dedication to the cause.

Ironically, when Harrington mapped out his itinerary at the start of the year, the Order of Merit didn't feature prominently among his personal goals.

"It wouldn't have been a strong goal. I didn't think it was possible to win it by playing 21 or 22 tournaments," he said.

One of his goals, however, was the performance stroke average - which he won last season - and he has that category in the bag already, even before a shot is struck in anger.

"You can take comfort from topping the stroke average because it shows your consistency and that you're shooting low numbers," he explained.

Harrington's hunger to take the Order of Merit ahead of a second Volvo Masters can be traced from the simple professional golfer's philosophy that you always want what you don't have.

"Going through your life, you'd like to win one of everything," he insisted. "I've already won a Volvo Masters, but I haven't won an Order of Merit. And I want to."

To win, Harrington - like everyone - will have to plot his way around a course which winds its way over undulating terrain and has copious cork trees to penalise errant driving.

"It's certainly going to be a mental test," said Harrington. "This is a course that you can't overpower and, off the tee, you're more focused on straightness than length. It is one of the few courses that gives up a lot to work on the mental side. You could have a wedge in your hand and know that you can't go at the flag."

If Harrington is to win, he will need his putter to perform on undulating and slick greens that will be running at 12 on the Stimpmetre. So it was, indeed, that his final preparatory work last evening was to spend time on the putting green - and finish up before the mosquitoes descended for a fresh sip of Irish blood.

Being paired with Goosen is not a problem. "We're both big boys," he said. In fact, the two have, as Harrington put it, "chatted" about the comments made by Goosen prior to the Madrid Open, and even had breakfast together yesterday although conversation about golf was very much on the periphery.

Goosen, too, has attempted to focus on the task ahead. "It's a close run thing between the two of us, but all I have to do is finish ahead of him. The mindset for both of us, however, is to win the tournament. We're obviously going to keep an eye on each other, but the main goal would be to win the tournament.

"I'm good friends with Padraig and enjoy playing with him. It's good for the tour that it comes down to this," claimed Goosen.

The tournament is far from a two-horse race. Although only Harrington or Goosen can take the Order of Merit title, one of 66 players can take the tournament title. Eleven members of Europe's Ryder Cup team are in action - the odd man out is Jesper Parnevik - while the Irish contingent is four, comprising Harrington, Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell.

As Sergio Garcia observed, "if the greens get firm and the wind blows, whoever stays under par will be doing well".

Harrington, as well as anyone, knows that this is not a time to lose the run of one's self.