ALL week The Earth Course has been buzzed by jet fighters roaring low across the sky to the spectacular Dubai International Air Show nearby ... yet when it comes to menacing objects flying in under the radar at The Dubai World Championship, Padraig Harrington leaves even the latest US and European combat aircraft in the halfpenny place.

It's a long time since Harrington has enjoyed such a low profile entering a European Tour event and the three-times Major champion was happy last night to cede centre stage to Rory McIlroy and his 20-year-old compatriot's three rivals in the final 72-hole stretch of the inaugural Race to Dubai.

Indeed, Harrington nominated McIlroy as "a hot favourite" to maintain his advantage over Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher and become the youngest winner of the European Order of Merit since a 19-year-old kid named Seve did the honours in 1976.

Normally Harrington would hesitate before placing such an onerous burden on young shoulders, but, when it comes to his prowess and presence on the golf course, 'normal' is not a word usually associated with McIlroy.

Great

"Nobody out here looks on him as a 20-year-old," the Dubliner explained. "They see Rory as a great player and that's it. He doesn't regard himself as a kid and nobody else does either. We all just see a great player who is leading the Order of Merit. Age doesn't come into it."

A winner of the Order of Merit himself in 2006 and excluded from the top-three in Europe's money list only once in eight years, Harrington's eminently qualified to weigh up McIlroy's options against three more experienced rivals.

"You know what, I think Rory's in a great position out there in front," the Dubliner enthused. "Looking at the golf course, I think he's got a really strong chance.

"Not only can Rory keep it in his own hands by winning, the other guys are going to have to play very well indeed to overtake him. He's a fantastic player and has performed with superb consistency all year," added Harrington, referring to McIlroy's maiden victory at February's Dubai Desert Classic and the other 12 top-10 finishes he's had in Europe this season.

"And he's a nice guy with it. As much as Rory is a competent golfer, he maintains a very nice attitude off the course, which is a really great thing. I can't imagine anyone not rooting for him to win the Race to Dubai, bar Lee, Martin and Ross. Everyone else is very much in his camp."

The bigger the occasion, the more McIlroy enjoys it. He's revelling in every minute of this week's end-of-season showdown.

The stakes certainly are high with €830,675 of a bumper €5m purse on offer to the tournament winner and a €1.01m bonus waiting for the man who finishes the season on top of the European Money List.

"From my amateur days, I always wanted to be the one they all had to chase. I feel very comfortable in that role," McIlroy admitted. "You walk onto the range each morning and feel like, yeah, this is something really special."

McIlroy believes the Race to Dubai tops even America's mega-bucks equivalent for drama, saying: "I think this tournament is more exciting than the FedEx Cup would be. I'm not trying to take anything away from the FedEx Cup, but the whole season in Europe comes down to just this one tournament, whereas they have the four play-offs in the US."

Though he'd been on the receiving end of some good-natured banter from Westwood after his International Sports Management stablemate leapfrogged him to the top of the money list with last month's victory at The Portuguese Masters, the youngster felt no temptation to reply when he wrested back his lead with Sunday's second place in Hong Kong, his sixth top-10 finish in a sizzling seven-tournament streak.

Overdrive

Yet a sensational closing 63 at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai the weekend before last sent McIlroy into overdrive and he's played his last five competitive rounds in a remarkable 26-under par.

"After that final round in Shanghai, I said to myself 'right, you've got the next two weeks to do this, let's get down and do it'," McIlroy explained.

"Lee and I get on very well and there was a bit of banter after he won at Vilamoura, but I've not said anything since Hong Kong -- that's not my way of doing things.

"I just want to keep a low profile this week," he continued. "I have eaten with my mum and dad each night and I haven't been hanging out with Chubby (Chandler, his manager) or any of the other guys. I'm just keeping myself to myself and I'm sure Lee is doing the same -- approaching this week like any other tournament.

"Though we play with each other in tomorrow's first round, the last thing either of us wants to do is treat it as match play."

McIlroy is €137,172 ahead of Westwood; leads Kaymer by €206,905 and is €433,402 up on Kaymer in the money list, a significant advantage on a new golf course which will be as unpredictable as a young colt.

At 18th in the Order of Merit, Harrington cannot win the Race to Dubai, but he appears fit, refreshed and ready to claim his first Tour victory of 2009 after a week's family holiday in the Arabian sunshine.

"I hope Rory wins the Order of Merit and I win the tournament," said the Dubliner, with a menacing grin.

Boyne Links outing takes place at Laytown and Bettystown on Fri, Nov 27. Timesheet: 041-9828793.

- Karl MacGinty

Irish Independent