Harrington seeking perfect Shanghai lift
Thursday November 05 2009
When Padraig Harrington returns to his Shanghai hotel room every night this week, he's faced with a choice of entering one of four specially promoted HSBC Champions event lift doors.
One has a full lift-door size picture of himself. Another features Sweden's Henrik Stenson. A third shows Paul Casey holding the BMW PGA Championship trophy, and there's a fourth in the lobby of the Le Meridien Hotel that Harrington will probably have second thoughts about walking through.
It's a lift door bearing a picture of a cheerful-looking Lee Westwood. Westwood has every right to be happy as he was photographed holding aloft the Portugal Masters, and it was a victory that still has the English golfer atop of the Race to Dubai money list.
Harrington has just two Race to Dubai events left if he is to unseat Westwood and the other 16 players, including Rory McIlroy, ahead of him on the money order to become European No 1 for the second time in his career.
But should the Stackstown man be forced into the lift bearing Westwood's picture, he's not about to press any alarm buttons, given the near insurmountable task facing the triple Major champion.
"No, I'm not into pressing any panic buttons and, besides, I can't complain because I've had a few good months' golf", he said "But I would like to win this week. What I can't do is go out there and push. I have just got to let it happen."
Victory in this week's inaugural World Golf Championship would earn Harrington €807,575. That would leave him some €420,000 short of Westwood, and that's not taking into account the tournament has no half-way cut, so there is guaranteed prize-money for all 78 competitors.
McIlroy revealed he has been doing his sums and the current No 3 on the Race to Dubai money list is €165,044 behind Westwood and, unlike Harrington, the 20-year-old is giving himself every chance by also entering next week's UBS Hong Kong Open.
Important
"These are three very important weeks coming up obviously because I am about €165,000 behind Lee, so I've got to make up a bit of ground," McIlroy said. "But I'll keep plodding along and doing my best, and going out there and try and shoot some good scores before we get to Dubai."
It is McIlroy's inaugural appearance in the event after qualifying by capturing the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this year and he admits to experiencing more intensity this season compared to his previous two years in the pro ranks when he was first looking to secure his card in 2007, and then last year as he tried to break into the world's top 50.
"The intensity is different because of just the chance to win again this year, whether it's the Race to Dubai or whatever, because having the chance to win just makes it that bit more special," he added.
"I never imagined that I would be challenging so soon for the No 1 title because after securing my card in 2007, I finished the Order or Merit last year in 36th spot and that was only after a good second half to the season.
"So I have never, ever set a goal to try and win the money title, but I am here now so I might as well give it my best shot. And while there is a big first-prize cheque this week, it is going to come down to the last event of the year in Dubai."
Shane Lowry makes up the Irish trio contesting the event and the reigning '3' Irish Open champion was spotted on the Sheshan range yesterday practising not far from World No 1, Tiger Woods.
"This is the second time this year I've played in the same event as Tiger, as I also competed in the Bridgestone Invitational in August, which he won," said Lowry. "The buzz around him this week compared to Akron is just amazing. But it's just nice to be here and it's another one of my rewards for winning the Irish Open, so hopefully I can play well this week."
Lowry intends joining McIlroy next week in Hong Kong but is then heading to Japan to compete in the Dunlop Phoenix Open.
HSBC Champions,
Live, Sky Sports 1, 6.0
- Bernie McGuire in Shanghai
Irish Independent
