IT'S the stuff of nightmares for variety artistes the challenge of appearing after the top act on a concert bill. For Padraig Harrington, however, the particular irony is that the star performer he is attempting to emulate happens to be himself.

"I wouldn't dream of setting any targets based on my performances last year," said the 25 year old Spanish Open champion, as he contemplated the start of a new European season. "That was phenomenal beyond my wildest dreams."

Still, he is acutely aware that comparisons are inevitable. Whether he likes it or not, people are going to wonder whether the sparkling play which brought him tournament earnings of £285,023 in 1996, for an end of season 11th in the Order of Merit held the promise of more to come.

But we are talking here of a remarkably stable young man, a player who always seems to make the right move, whether it happens to involve a commercial deal or communicating with the media. He is confident without being brash, mannerly without being obsequious.

So it is that he scoffs at suggestions that he might make the Ryder Cup team. "I've lost count of the number of people who have talked about seeing me at Valderrama," he said. "But at 19th in the team standings, I'm 50 far out of contention at this stage that it's not worth considering. It's going to take about 340,000 points to make the team, so I would obviously have to win a tournament to be a serious challenger."

He was more interested in discussing immediate targets. "This time last year, I managed to play in only one of the first six tournaments," he said. "Now, I have the freedom to play all six if I wish - and that's my plan at the moment."

It will be recalled that in his first eight events of last season, he finished 49th, 31st, 23rd, 45th, 48th, eighth, seventh and 10th. Then, after the Italian Open, he headed for Club de Campo in Madrid where, after surviving his ninth successive cut, he went on to gain an astonishing, four stroke victory in the Spanish Open.

"I haven't a clue how I'll come out of the blocks this time," he admitted. "All I know is that my performance in the first tournament won't worry me. I'm going to give myself time to settle in. I may play six in a row, maybe seven. We'll see how things work out."

Further probing, however, uncovered that he has, in fact, written down about 12 targets which he has set for the season. Some of them he was prepared to discuss; others he kept to himself.

"The first one is to end the season in the top 50 of the Order of Merit," he said. "I also want to make as many cuts as I did last year (19). And it would be a great lift if one of those cuts happened to be in my first appearance in the US Open, at Congressional.

"Then I want to retain my places on the Ireland team for the Alfred Dunhill Cup and the World Cup. But I'm trying to break the year up into segments - periods of time that I feel I'll be able to handle mentally. For instance, at this stage I don't want to look beyond Easter."

Earlier this month, he spent two weeks practising at San Rogue on the Spanish Costa del Sol where, only 14 months previously, he had opened the door to a tournament career by battling to 16th place in the Qualifying School. His performance there confirmed the talent we were aware of from his amateur days, but there was nothing to indicate the dramatic impact of a wonderful debut season.

"I have tried to learn from people," he said. "If I feel there is something I need to know, I'll ask a person who can give me the answer. And I'll listen to what others tell me, even if I don't necessarily take their advice.

"There is still so much that is new to me. For instance, this is my first trip to Australia. I've been to Morocco before, but I've never been to Dubai. That's going to be another interesting challenge. Then there will be the majors - Congressional and the British Open at Troon."

Though he is unwilling to speculate on how things will pan out, he remains confident in his ability to handle these challenges. "I gained a lot of experience, a lot of maturity from my amateur days," he said. "Among the things I learned was that finishing runner up is not necessarily a bad thing. Handling that sort of disappointment has helped me become a more mature person.

"I intend to use that maturity to concentrate on doing my own thing. I know I've got to try to shut myself off from the expectations of others, however well intentioned they may be. I suppose that's the reason I wouldn't dream of trying to predict how other Irish players might perform this coming season. They'll have to contend with enough, without being saddled with my expectations."

Behind the pragmatism, however, there was an obvious delight in the life that a splendid talent has opened up for him. And there was an awareness that the achievements of last season have allowed him the luxury of striving to become a better player, rather than being consigned to a battle for survival.

Interestingly for a qualified accountant, he doesn't talk about money. Like a mature professional, Harrington knows that financial rewards are an inevitable consequence of consistent scoring. And as put it: "I'm in this for the long haul."