Harrington eyes Shanghai success
European number one Padraig Harrington is keen to continue his recent good form and claim the HSBC Champions tournament that gets underway in Shanghai tomorrow.
The Irishman captured the coveted Order of Merit at the Volvo Masters in Valderrama last month in the season ending event of the European Tour.
And now the 35-year-old is looking to get his 2007 campaign off to the ideal start at the Sheshan International Golf Club and improve on last year’s finish of 15th.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “The course conditions are quite a bit different to last year.
“The rough is heavy and dry so I think I’ll have to be more precise with the greens being firmer and faster than last year.
“I’ve been in good form and have been playing well coming into this event.
“I do find this golf course difficult and I will have to see if everyone else does too.
“I’m probably not putting as well as I’d like so I have been practicing that and if I putt well then I can win.”
Harrington edged both David Howell and Paul Casey to top of the European rankings by finishing joint second in Spain behind Jeev Milkha Singh.
His success was helped somewhat after Casey developed a case of food poisoning at the start of the event.
But Harrington was happy enough that his own game played an equally important role in his success.
He added: “It is a long year and obviously you get breaks at times.
“It was disappointing for Paul to get food poisoning on the first day and that affected the next three days.
“Personally I still had to work there and have a good week and managed to finish second.
“I stuck to my job and obviously I got a break with Paul not being well but I’m still happy with how I did.”
Harrington, who also won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland in October, has set his sights high for 2007 and believes a solid display at the HSBC Champions would put him on course for his ultimate goal of winning a Major title.
“Throughout my career of 10 years now I’ve won nearly every graded event all the way up to a world event and a major,” he said.
“The Order of Merit is probably up there just behind the Major really in terms of something you want to achieve in your career.
“So the natural progression would say it is a world Major next.”
