Even in a swank downtown hotel in Dublin, talk of Tiger Woods is never far away. And yesterday, Padraig Harrington, one of those players very much in pursuit, presented a pessimistic outlook - at least in the immediate future - for those hoping to catch the world's number one.

"It may look like the gap is closing at the moment, but I'd be surprised if it closes on him this year," said Harrington, who was back in his home city after a three-week stint on tour to renew his association as touring professional with Mount Juliet.

"Last year, Tiger's whole game was phenomenal. That certainly makes it harder for him to improve and gives everyone else room for improvement, but it is going to take time for the gap to close."

"Some of the older guys on tour may have missed the boat and perhaps don't have the time to catch up, but there are 15, 16, 17-year-olds out there at the developmental stage and they're all going to come out playing like Tiger Woods."

Harrington returns to competitive action in the Players' Championship at Sawgrass in two weeks, followed by his second appearance in the US Masters two weeks later.

Apart from closing the gap on Woods, Harrington - as Thomas Bjorn observed in Dubai - has now become part of the so-called "Big Six" on the European Tour. The Dane believes that himself, Harrington and Michael Campbell have closed the gap on Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood.