Harrington eases Woosnam headache

So, it would seem, Padraig Harrington has soothed one potential headache for Ian Woosnam. Just over a month ago, Europe's Ryder Cup captain wondered aloud why some of his leading lights were playing so much in the United States and weren't adding on more tournaments in Europe in an attempt to automatically make the team for The K Club in September.

It was a public point directed at Harrington, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia, among others.

Harrington not only listened, he acted. The four-time Ryder Cup player, jet-lag et al, duly added the French Open to the itinerary, and his runner-up finish in Paris, the 27th of his career on both sides of the Atlantic, was probably the most satisfying near-miss of all as it has virtually guaranteed his place on the European team with most of the summer still to go.

While Harrington professes to be playing "the best golf of my career" at the moment, his actions have not only led to him currently securing sixth place in the composite standings for Europe's Ryder Cup team but also seen him rise to 18th in the latest official world rankings heading into this week's Smurfit Kappa European Open at The K Club.

Although he hasn't won since the Barclays Classic in June of last year (excluding the JP McManus pro-am last July, which was an unofficial, 36-hole tournament), Harrington's form since the BMW Championship at Wentworth in May, when he secured his first top-10 finish of the season in a strokeplay tournament, has had him knocking on the door. He was fifth in the US Open, second in the Booz Allen Classic and now second again in the French Open. The upshot is that he has catapulted to third on the PGA European Tour money list.

Unfortunately, David Howell, the current European money leader, has decided not to play in this week's European Open on the Smurfit Course after a gruelling schedule in recent weeks.

But the quality of the field, pursuing a top prize of €578,792, is such that seven players occupying automatic places in Woosnam's European team are in the field, as well as the two immediate past US Open champions, Michael Campbell and Retief Goosen.

Harrington has leapfrogged over Paul McGinley (who is still in Woosnam's team) in the Ryder Cup tables. But McGinley comes into The K Club knowing that his putting average of 30.11 on the European Tour, the highest since he turned professional, is one that needs to improve if he is to rediscover the form that led to him winning the Volvo Masters last November in a career-best season.

Certainly, there is no shortage of numbers from an Irish point of view competing in the European Open with Harrington, McGinley, Darren Clarke (playing for the first time since the US Open), Graeme McDowell, Stephen Browne, Philip Walton, Simon Thornton, Brendan McGovern, David Mortimer, Stephen Hamill, Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane, Gary Murphy, David Higgins and Michael Hoey all teeing up.

The two respective Ryder Cup captains, Tom Lehman and Woosnam, are also in the field. One man not playing, however, is Des Smyth, the European vice-captain, who will be competing in the US Seniors Open at Prairie Dunes in Kansas.

Brian McElhinney has decided to play in the Scottish Challenge in Aberdeen this week, where the former British Amateur champion is joined by Tim Rice, David Jones, Justin Kehoe, Damien Mooney and Colm Moriarty.