NINE DAYS after winning the British Open for the second year running, Pádraig Harrington can cement his place among the game's elite at this week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Although yet to claim one of the prestigious World Golf Championship (WGC) titles, the Dubliner proved at Royal Birkdale he can triumph anywhere against any field.

He produced one of the best rounds of his life in strong, gusting winds to seal his second major victory, and has set his sights on further success in golf's biggest events.

"I do believe I'm getting better with time," Harrington told reporters after winning his 13th European Tour title. "I'm maturing as a player, as a person. My golf game is improving all the time and I need it to be.

"Wins like this help you wait it out, help you say: 'Keep doing your thing, keep trying to improve, keep working at it, and your days will come.'

"Thankfully, what I might be getting good at is making sure those days are the big days, and that's very important," added the world number three.

Although Harrington has never flourished at Firestone Country Club, with just two top-15 finishes in nine starts, he is well aware of the recipe for success on the par-70 layout.

"Every year, it's the same," the 36-year-old said. "It's a real tough, fair challenge. There's nothing really on the golf course that nobody particularly likes.

"It's quite long and it is one of the narrowest courses we play in the year. You've got to really be a straight hitter to do well."

A notable absentee this week will be the world number one, Tiger Woods, a six-time champion at Firestone who has won the title for the last three years.

Woods is sidelined for the rest of the year while he recovers from reconstructive knee surgery, opening the door for players such as Harrington, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia.

"Now that Tiger is not playing, it gives us all a little bit more of a chance this year," said the rising American talent Anthony Kim, twice a winner on the 2008 PGA Tour. "I think everybody is trying to seize that opportunity.

"It's a great opportunity for us to make a name for ourselves and stamp our name in the golf world," added the 23-year-old, who will be making his first appearance in a WGC event at Firestone.

South Africa's Els has loved the venue since he played there for the first time in 1999, when he finished fifth.

"I've shot a lot of decent scores on this golf course and despite never having won the tournament I always like my chances coming in," the three-time major winner said on his website.

Els, Kim and Harrington are among an elite field of 81 vying for the third WGC title of the year.

That includes Darren Clarke. The Northern Irishman is one of only three men to win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational apart from Woods - the others being Stewart Cink and Craig Parry - and the 2003 victor will return to Firestone buoyed by his success in the BMW Asian Open.

The other Irish players in the field are Graeme McDowell and Paul McGinley.

Meanwhile, Greg Norman has turned down an invitation to the US PGA Championship, the final major tournament of the season.

Norman (53) was extended a special invitation to compete in the August 7th-10th tournament after he tied for third place at this month's British Open. He followed that by tying for fifth at the Senior British Open.

"While I truly appreciate the PGA extending me an exemption for this year's PGA Championship, I have elected to decline in favour of adhering to the professional and personal commitments made prior to the British Open," Norman said in a statement on his website.

The two-time British Open winner, who was runner-up at the PGA Championship in 1986 and 1993, is competing this week in the US Senior Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado.

Norman will, however, feature in the Jonnie Walker Classic in Perth, Western Australia, next year at the Vines Resort and Country Club.

The event, which takes place from February 19th to 22nd, is expected to attract further big names as it is tri-sanctioned by the European, Asian and Australasian Tours.

Norman, who was born in Queensland and is now based in Florida, said: "It will be a great treat to be competing back on home soil in Australia, especially in Perth, which offers great weather, a fantastic championship course at The Vines and a wonderful backdrop for a tournament."