The body can only take so much, which is why Padraig Harrington's decision to bypass next week's Seve Trophy at The Heritage, outside Portlaoise, doesn't come as any major surprise, writes Philip Reid.

The British Open champion, who topped the qualifying, has decided not to play in the team event that will see a Britain and Ireland team defend the trophy against a continental Europe team, a la the Ryder Cup.

Citing a combination of "fatigue and injuries", Harrington - who has played in the four previous Seve Trophy matches - yesterday withdrew from the match explaining, in a statement, he had been "advised by my trainer and physio to take a two-week break from tournament golf immediately".

Harrington took his decision after finishing tied-11th in the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour, a tournament won by Tiger Woods, who claimed his fourth win in five outings to bring his season's winnings over the $10 million mark. Woods also collected the $10 million pension fund that went with topping the FedEx Cup standings.

Indeed, in this era dominated by Woods, it is worth pointing out that the world number one's schedule is far less taxing than that of Harrington, who has attempted to combine playing on both sides of the Atlantic. Harrington, in fact, has played no fewer than 24 tournaments so far this year.

In contrast, Woods has played 17, his only excursion outside of the official PGA Tour (which includes the British Open) being to play in the Dubai Desert Classic in February.

Harrington's far heavier workload and travelling itinerary has obviously taken its toll, and his main concern is to avoid further complications to a neck injury that recurs occasionally and which even caused him some concern the week he won the claret jug at Carnoustie.

The Dubliner is also seeking to retain his European Tour order of merit title, which he currently leads, and missing the Seve Trophy means he can have a break before returning to tournament play at the Alfred Dunhill Links in Scotland, an event which kicks off a sequence of successive weeks that also takes in the HSBC World Matchplay at Wentworth and the Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda.

Following that, his plans include playing in the Volvo Masters in Valderrama, which concludes the 2007 European Tour schedule, but is then down to play the HSBC Champions tournament in Hong Kong (the first tournament of the 2008 season, albeit in November), defend the Phoenix Dunlop title in Japan and, after the birth of his second child, finish off the year with an appearance in the Target World Challenge.

It means that, by year's end, Harrington will have played 31 tournaments.

In explaining his reasons for withdrawing from the Seve Trophy, Harrington added: "This is a decision I have not taken lightly, as I don't want to let down the Britain and Ireland team and, most importantly, the Irish golf fans. I wish the team the best of luck."

Harrington was the only player from Ireland to have qualified for the B&I team, although captain Nick Faldo, who is due to name his two wild cards today, could yet rescue that particular situation by naming either Paul McGinley - one of his vice-captains for next year's Ryder Cup in Valhalla - or Graeme McDowell on the team.

Both were members of the winning team at the Wynyard Club in England in 2005.

The withdrawal by Harrington is a big blow to the event, and follows on from decisions by Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter for B and I and Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson not to play.

However, the final automatic places were confirmed yesterday and include just two players, Colin Montgomerie and Paul Casey, who featured in the Ryder Cup at The K Club last year, although Justin Rose has stood by his earlier decision to play and his presence will be a boost to the defending champions.

There will be first-time appearances in the competition for for England's Graeme Storm, Oliver Wilson and Phillip Archer in the Britain and Ireland team, and Finland's Mikko Ilonen, Denmark's Søren Hansen, Frenchman Grégory Havret and Austria's Markus Brier in the Continental Europe team.

Faldo, the B and I captain, and Seve Ballesteros, who captains the continental Europe team, are today due to select their respective wild cards to complete the 10-man teams for the match which takes place on September 27th-30th at The Heritage.

Meanwhile, no fewer than 18 aspiring tour players from Ireland will compete in the European Tour qualifying school stage one this week.

There are no fewer than 17 Irish players competing at the St Annes Old Course near Southport (where there will be 30 qualifying places to stage two in November), while Stephen Grant is the lone competitor at Moliets in France.

BRITAIN AND IRELAND

Colin Montgomerie (Scot)

Justin Rose (Eng)

Paul Casey (Eng)

Bradley Dredge (Wal)

Graeme Storm (Eng)

Oliver Wilson (Eng)

Nick Dougherty (Eng)

Phillip Archer (Eng)

CONTINENTAL EUROPE

Robert Karlsson (Swe)

Miguel Angel Jiménez (Spn)

Raphaël Jacquelin (Fra)

Mikko Ilonen (Fin)

Søren Hansen (Den)

Grégory Havret (Fra)

Markus Brier (Aut)

Peter Hanson (Swe)

( Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros to add two wild card selections today)