Harrington struggles to keep mind off Augusta

For all that he has achieved in the sport, Pádraig Harrington retains an earthy view of things.

Yesterday, just moments after being greeted by none other than Tiger Woods on the pathway outside the media centre here at Sawgrass - "Hey Paddy," said the world's number one, and the reply went along the lines of "Howya" - the Dubliner gave a throwaway view of his performance here in the Players' Championship last year.

"Do you know," he remarked, in all seriousness, "my ball-striking last year was brutal, just brutal. I couldn't hit the ball out of my way."

Which, perhaps, is a statement that requires expansion: Harrington finished runner-up to Davis Love 12 months ago - he shared the lead with Jay Haas going into the final round. To do that, his ball-striking, if not at the level of perfection he would have liked, still got the job done. As did his short game, his pitching and putting.

So, Harrington is back on a course that he likes but, typically, refuses to raise his expectations too high. "I've done well in the past, but who knows how I am going to do this year? I'm here to play my golf and see where I finish up at the end of the week. This is a course that over the years I've felt comfortable on. I like the test it sets, basically. It's definitely a thinking person's course. You've got to get the ball in the right places off the tee and put it on the green in the right places."

Harrington, who has dropped to 13th in the world rankings, is resuming tournament play after a two-week break following the Dubai Desert Classic.

"I've been concentrating on all areas of my game, but mainly putting."

Yet, despite the Players' having the biggest purse in golf, Harrington can't resist glancing into the future. "I'm trying to get my game ready for Augusta. It's interesting, you come here to a very big event like this two weeks before the Masters and you really want to play well, but also you have one eye on Augusta.

"This course is probably the most appropriate tournament for professional players, as the golf course is set up to be as hard and tough as possible while still being fair.

"It's the fifth biggest event in the world, the next one after the majors, so it is right up there in terms of winning. And if I win this week, I'll call it the fifth major. But, besides that, it is the fifth biggest event."