GOLF: Padraig Harrington's commitment has never been in question from his amateur days to the moment he embraced the professional game.
Noted for his dedication to practice and the pursuit of a perfectly tailored golf swing, there are few professionals who attend to the minutiae associated with trying to be the best than Harrington.
Professional golf by its very nature is a solitary, selfish sport where the emphasis is on the individual to the exclusion of peripheral factors. There are exceptions, one such being Harrington's undertaking to represent Ireland, along with Paul McGinley, at the World Cup in Kiawah Island, South Carolina this week.
Having played a pivotal role in helping Britain and Ireland to victory over the Continent of Europe in the Seve Ballesteros trophy, Harrington raced back to Dublin last Sunday night and then early the following morning began a 21-hour travel odyssey.
In the days of personal Lear jets, Harrington is remarkably grounded, the only acknowledgement of his privileged status is business class travel. On Delta flight 128 to Atlanta on Monday morning, he had every reason to shun the outside world and try and grab some shuteye but it is not the nature of the ninth ranked golfer in the world.
Once several golfers had ascertained his presence, he was approached for autographs and a chat. There are few sportsmen as accommodating and this was manifest both on the plane and on arrival in Atlanta at the carousel, where he laughed and joked with several punters; an ordinary Joe and a huge part of his appeal not just as a golfer but a person.
For those who haven't had the pleasure of Atlanta airport, it is an ode to slow death by queuing, an excruciating crawl through humourless bureaucracy. Once reacquainted with your baggage it then has to be rechecked in for those with connecting flights, a process involving long, slow moving lines.
Once negotiated a human snake of about 400 at any one time edges towards the X-ray machines. The suggestion is that more connecting flights are missed in Atlanta than any other city in the world. Harrington, like everyone else endured the process, grabbed the train for Terminal B and a connecting flight to Charleston, South Carolina, clubs et al. It's a 45 minute drive from Charleston to Kiawah Island but on arrival as the Irishman acknowledged his fellow professionals taking part in the World Cup, disgorged from a glut of vans as the night wore on.
Harrington's responsibilities did not end with his arrival at the Kiawah Island Inn, the consummate professional, permitted a quick change before pressing the flesh at a dinner hosted by his sponsors, Wilson.
Yesterday morning, 7.45 a.m. to be precise and once again at the behest of Wilson, he hauled himself to the magnificent Tom Watson designed Cassique golf course, one of two private courses on the island, to attend the announcement to the American media of a new five-year deal between golfer and sports manufacturer.
Under the terms of the agreement Harrington will play the Wilson Deep Red 11 Maxx Driver and Deep Red 11 Tour irons. More interesting though was the confirmation that a new 58 degree wedge, bearing his initials (Wilson PH Wedge) will hit the market. As Scotsman Angus Moir, Global Business Director for Wilson Golf, catalogued Harrington's achievements, the Irishman sat quietly, almost grimacing in embarrassment.
Magazine interviews followed and then it was time for Harrington to conduct a clinic for local media and Wilson representatives and directors. Observing, it's easy to understand his popularity. Self deprecating and humorous the 40-minute clinic was punctuated by laughter.
Harrington deconstructed the game from the basics of the grip, through posture, backswing and downswing, refraining from technical jargon.
Those looking for a quick fix weren't disappointed, an idiot's guide to chipping prompting plenty of feedback from his audience. All the while Harrington remained animated, answering the most mundane questions and providing a practical illustration, through shots, of his instruction.
At 10.30 a.m. he finally departed, heading for the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, and a reunion with caddie Dave McNeilly, the latter studiously compiling yardages and his playing partner Paul McGinley.
Not before he offered a couple of thoughts on returning to a much changed course from the one on which the Irish duo won the World Cup when last it was played here in 1997. "I haven't been back since then but heard about the changes and in that respect I'm looking forward to getting out there.
"It must be one of the few courses in the world where they have actually widened the fairways," he laughed. I think the improvement in golfing technology since 1997 will counter any lengthening of the course. To be honest, the team that wins the World Cup this week will probably hit a lot of fairways, irrespective of whether they are narrow or wide."
Wilson undoubtedly pays the Irishman handsomely but the package that he offers goes beyond mere golfing ability. And they know that.
