TOUR NEWS:PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON, a three-time Major champion, and Paul Cutler, making his professional debut, break new ground by playing in this week's Austrian Open in Atzenbrugg.
For the Dubliner, who has slipped to 81st in the latest world rankings, it marks a first tournament appearance in Austria as he seeks to use it as springboard towards a late-season revival of fortunes. For the Ulsterman, it marks the first step of a new journey into life on the professional tour.
In Harrington’s case, it would seem his unexpected decision to add the Austrian Open – with one of the smallest purses on the PGA European Tour, offering €166,660 to the winner – is because he wants to try out the work he has done with new coach Pete Cowan before some bigger events, including next week’s €3.6 million Dunhill Links, down the line.
Harrington – who played six straight weeks before his interest in the US Tour’s FedEx Cup series ended, giving him a two-week break to work on his swing with Cowan – has a battle on his hands to break into the tour’s season-ending Dubai World Championship. Only the top 60 players on the money list earn tickets to the end-of-season money fest and he is currently in 87th position.
Never one to panic, Harrington has yet to confirm his upcoming events but they will likely include the Dunhill Links – a tournament he has twice won – and perhaps the Portuguese Masters and the Andalucian Masters before switching the focus to the Far East where he will definitely play in the Singapore Open and defend the Johor Open in Malaysia.
“I’ve had some reasonable results in America recently, so I’m looking to continue that trend and put in a good performance in Austria.
“I’ve been working hard with my coach and I’m ready to test out the new swing under competitive conditions. I know I need to improve my position in the Race to Dubai, but all it takes is a win or one strong finish and I will get into the top 60.”
Harrington is also keen to get started on the European qualifying campaign, with the promise to play more frequently on the European Tour. In attempting to qualify for the last Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, where he ultimately needed a captain’s pick from Colin Montgomerie to make the team, Harrington admitted he had put too much emphasis on the world points qualifying list rather than on the European money list route.
Although these are early days in the qualifying process, Harrington has yet to register points on either list for the 2012 matches in Chicago.
The Race to Dubai and the Ryder Cup is far from the mind of Cutler, who – after an impressive Walker Cup campaign in which he was one of the star men in Britain and Ireland’s win – is hoping to use limited sponsor’s invites to earn a sufficient amount to avoid a visit to tour school. The 22-year-old from Portstewart marks his professional debut in Austria, the precursor to a run of events that also includes next week’s Dunhill Links, the Portugal Masters, the Andalucian Masters and the Singapore Open.
“I’m more excited than nervous,” said Cutler of making his professional debut in Austria. “I can’t wait to get started . . . my performance in the Irish Open (as an amateur, in July) has given me great peace of mind. I know I can compete. I was top 10 there for a while and finished 21st, so I know I can compete with them.”
Harrington and Cutler are part of a sextet of Irish players competing in Austria, where they are joined by Damien McGrane – who, like Harrington, is trying to break into the top 60 on the Race to Dubai standings – Jonathan Caldwell, Michael McGeady and Gary Murphy. McGrane is currently 97th on the money list.
Caldwell, the former Walker Cup player from Clandeboye in Northern Ireland, has taken the first step towards regaining his European Tour Card for next season.
He finished joint top in the storm-affected first stage of the Qualifying School which ended at the weekend on the Dundonald links in Scotland.
Rounds of 69, 73, 68, 73 for a 72-hole aggregate of 283 gave him a share of top place with England’s Darren Wright.
Now Caldwell, Wright and 13 others from Dundonald will go forward to the second stage at the beginning of December.
Portmarnock’s Noel Fox and Aaron O’Callaghan also both made it through, but there was heartache for Irish players Michael Collins, Séamus McMonagle and Gary Murphy. who just missed out on places in the top 15.
For the likes of Murphy, however, it is a case of capitalising on every opportunity he gets on tour as he failed to come through last week’s first stage of Q-School qualifying and now needs to make a dramatic impact in limited openings.
Simon Thornton has bypassed the Austrian Open in favour of playing in the Allianz Open on the Challenge Tour as he seeks to tie down a full card on the main tour for 2012. Thornton is 25th on the Challenge Tour order of merit,with the top 20 getting full tour cards. Colm Moriarty and Niall Kearney are also competing in France.
Graeme McDowell – like Rory McIlroy – plans to reappear from a short break at next week’s Dunhill Links. The Ulsterman failed to make it to the final two tournaments of the FedEx series and will now move his attention to Europe and Asia. “I ended the FedEx Cup play-offs further down the list than I’d hoped, it has been that kind of season for me . . . but I’m looking forward to the months ahead. I can still give the Race to Dubai a good push over the coming months.”
Meanwhile, rookie professional Cian Curley is playing in the first stage of European Tour school in Fleesensee in Germany, starting today.
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