Harrington can see the worth of Korean trip

TOUR SCENE ROUND-UP:FOR THE top players, and especially for those with majors on their curriculum vitae, there are times when the sponsor's chequebook is a powerful force in determining an itinerary.

So Pádraig Harrington, now a much sought after commodity on the international stage, will break free of the practice ground to resume tournament play in this week's Ballantines Championship on Jeju Island in Korea.

It's unusual for Harrington, who hasn't played since exiting last month's Accenture Matchplay in the second round, to fly so far for just one tournament.

But the British Open champion, who has been working with coach Bob Torrance for much of the past two weeks, believes the tournament in the Far East presents a good opportunity to appraise the work he has done on the practice ground in a competitive environment before he returns to America in the build-up to the US Masters next month.

"As players, we always look forward to new challenges," said Harrington, "and the Ballantines is a tremendous opportunity to play in a different environment. It's an historic tournament (the first European Tour event in Korea) and promises to be a fantastic event."

Harrington has shown a more cut-throat attitude to his preparations for the Masters by deciding not to play in next week's CA World Golf Championship (WGC) in Doral, Florida, because it doesn't tie in with the way he wants to do things in the run-up to Augusta.

Harrington believes he hits his peak in the third week of a run. If he were to play the CA championship, it would mean the Masters would be the fourth of a four-week run.

So Harrington has decided to skip the WGC, for which this week's Ballantines is the final opportunity for players like Damien McGrane and Graeme McDowell to force their way into the elite field.

Instead, the Dubliner favours a measured build-up that will see him play the New Orleans Classic and the Houston Open in the two weeks prior to the Masters.

"I'm happy with the way my season has started and feel that I'm getting into tournament mode and ready for the season ahead," said Harrington, who remains 10th in the world rankings.

Harrington heads a six-strong Irish contingent in Korea, where he is joined by McDowell, McGrane, Rory McIlroy, Paul McGinley and Gary Murphy.

Local hero KJ Choi, the world number five, is the top-ranked player in the field.

Meanwhile, Sean O'Hair's win in the Pods Championship on the US Tour, his second tour title, has moved the 24-year-old American up to 35 in the world rankings, which gets him into the WGC-CA Championship and the Masters.

Finally, on the amateur scene, the Darren Clarke Foundation is sending two young golfers to compete in the inaugural Ernie Els World Junior Invitational at Fancourt in South Africa this month.

Luke Lennox of Moyola Park and Alan Dunbar of Rathmore have been selected, and they will stay on for the South African boys championship at Durbanville near Cape Town on April 1st-4th.

Clarke said: "I am absolutely delighted for the two players. It was wonderful of Ernie to issue an invitation to my foundation to send two representatives to his tournament and I hope this is the first of many initiatives between our respective foundations."

Clarke's foundation will cover all expenses and pay for a supervising adult to travel with them.