Another move in quest of victory

The perpetual quest for perfection, or as close as it is possible to get to that elusive state, has led to Padraig Harrington seriously considering a switch to a form of broomhandle putter. Indeed, the 30-year-old Dubliner - who has finished runner-up on seven occasions this season, while still rising to 15th position in the world rankings - has already ordered a specially-measured putter to be made up for him in the US.

Although Harrington is already perceived as one of the top putters on the circuit (he is third in the putts-per-greens-in-regulation category) such a move could be seen as part of an on-going programme that has already reaped significant success: he recently underwent laser surgery on his eyes; embarked on a strict fitness regime that has seen him lose over a stone inside the past year, and, since teaming up with Bob Torrance as coach, he has rebuilt his swing and developed into one of the genuine stars of world golf.

While the switch to a long-handle putter is a distinct possibility for the future, it won't comprise any part of his armoury when Harrington competes in the inaugural Dunhill Links championship, a similar pro-am styled event to the Pebble Beach tournament on the US Tour, which takes place at St Andrews, Kingsbarn and Carnoustie this week. He is one of six Irish players - along with Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Des Smyth, Eamonn Darcy and Ronan Rafferty - competing in the £6 million sterling tournament, the richest prize fund on the European Tour.

Harrington took the shuttle flight from Heathrow to Scotland on Sunday night for a tournament on links terrain that offers the player an immediate opportunity to soothe some of the hurt he felt on his defeat to Ian Woosnam in Sunday's final of the World Matchlay at Wentworth. Despite accumulating in excess of £1.5 million in prizemoney so far this season (in official and approved events on the European Tour), the absence of a tournament win for a player who leads the stroke average on tour is a source of some concern.

The sequence of runners-up finishes stretches back to the Malaysian Open in February where, having been two ahead with two holes to play, he lost to Vijay Singh in a play-off. In the Dubai Desert Classic, he backed into the runners-up position when world number one Tiger Woods double-bogeyed the last. Then, in the Portuguese Open, where he held or shared the lead for the first three days, he ended up two shots behind winner Phillip Price. He also finished second in both the Irish Open and the European Open.

And, then, in last month's BMW International in Munich, he was level with John Daly on the final tee, but went into water and was beaten by a birdie. The runner's-up finish to Woosnam on Sunday was his seventh of the season.

One would feel he is due a change of luck. Apart from the fact that he has been edged out of the winning position so frequently (he hasn't won since the Madrid Open 12 months ago, a tournament which he defends next week), Harrington has proven to be one of the most sporting, and honest, golfers on tour. Last year, he was disqualified from the B&H International Open prior to the final round when five shots clear after it was discovered that he had failed to sign his first round card. He accepted the disqualification with immense dignity and good grace.

In the US Open at Pebble Beach last year, he called a shot on himself when he felt that the ball had moved while he was about to putt; then, in the Singapore Open in February, lying second with three holes to play, he called another shot on himself when the ball moved as he was about to play. And, on Sunday, he called another shot on himself on the 27th hole of his final with Woosnam when the ball moved as he prepared to play a recovery shot. He was two up at the time, but didn't win another hole.

Meanwhile, Harrington has decided not to play in the BMW Asian Open in Taiwan, the first official event on the 2002 Order of Merit, which takes place in the week following the World Cup in Japan next month. His decision comes after receiving an invite into the elite 16-man field for the Williams World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in California on December 10th-16th.

Darren Clarke has also taken up an invite from promoter Tiger Woods to play in that $3.8 million tournament. Harrington will also play in the Million Dollar Challenge in Sun City two weeks previously.