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Harrington heads to Paris to fine-tune Ryder preparations

GOLF RYDER CUP PREPARATIONS: IN MANY ways, this is the calm before the storm

PHILIP REID Golf correspondent
Tue Sept 21 2010 - 01:00

GOLF RYDER CUP PREPARATIONS:IN MANY ways, this is the calm before the storm. Although Pádraig Harrington, who needs to, and Peter Hanson, who doesn't especially, are dipping their toes back into competitive action at the Vivendi Cup in Paris this week and Luke Donald is on duty in the Tour Championship on the US Tour, the vast majority of Europe's Ryder Cup team are taking a week out to prepare for next week's shindig at the Celtic Manor resort in the Welsh valleys.

If not exactly in rest mode, nine of Colin Montgomerie’s 12-man team are fine-tuning and preparing away from the madding crowds before gathering in Newport next Monday. By then, we’ll have a fair indication of what sort of game Harrington – who remains in 22nd position in the latest world rankings – will bring to the party.

Aside from the Ryder Cup, which Harrington is now hoping will provide the “pinnacle” of his year, the Dubliner will be aware he needs to stay inside the top 25 on the world rankings this weekend to ensure a ticket to the HSBC Champions Tournament in China in November. In truth, though, that is very much of secondary importance to him as he sets about using the Paris event to sort out any blemishes in his game and ensure he takes his A-Game to the Ryder Cup.

Incidentally, the other two Irish men on the team – US Open champion Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy – are getting ready away from the public eye. McDowell, an encouraging third in the Austrian Open on his comeback from a four-week hiatus, declared himself ready to go.

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“The Ryder Cup is one of those weeks where you want to take your game with you. It’s a busy week and it’s tough to go find your game if it is not there, so I’m happy to see mine is ready. We will get a lot of good work done this week to ensure I am as sharp as possible,” said McDowell, who has coach Pete Cowan and caddie Kenny Comboy here in Ireland with him this week, adding: “I definitely want to go to Wales to perform.”

McIlroy, meanwhile, has taken a two-week break from the game since missing out on the FedEx Cup’s finale and has used his time away from tournament play to make two trips to Old Trafford – for last week’s Champions League encounter with Rangers and Sunday’s win over Liverpool – but will fine-tune with coach Michael Bannon this week before heading over to join up with his team-mates for his debut appearance in the Ryder Cup.

Although he is one of the most seasoned players on the team, Harrington has travelled to Paris – where he will participate in the pro-am-style tournament alongside his brother Fergal – aware his wild card selection was the more controversial of captain Montgomerie’s picks and is determined he will reach Celtic Manor, as he puts it, “ready to go”.

Indeed, Harrington – who has had a number of conversations with Monty since he was given the thumbs-up – is unsure who he will be partnered with in the foursomes or fourballs.

“I’m very open this time round. It’s interesting. I think the pairings are reasonably open on the team . . . over the years, I’ve played with a mixture of players. I have played with a number of rookies and I have also played with Monty a number of times.

“For me, there is two kinds of teams: you either play with somebody you’re very much 50-50 with, as in there is not a leader in that group; or else you play in a group where you distinctly are the leader or are not the leader. What I mean by that is, you have two friends getting on very well in a partnership, or else you have a senior player who brings the best out of the other.

“Looking at the team, there are a number of rookies, but it is not going to be quite the same as other years because some of our rookies are the strongest players in the team. It will be an interesting one for Monty to decide on partnerships.”

Montgomerie, in fact, has asked his team to congregate early on Monday morning in Celtic Manor as he gets around to bonding and working on potential partnerships in the quest to wrestle the trophy back from the Americans.

Harrington and Hanson are the only two members of the European team to play in Paris, where the Irish contingent is completed by European vice-captain Paul McGinley, Peter Lawrie, Simon Thornton and Gary Murphy.

Elsewhere, tour players Shane Lowry and Damien McGrane will bring some gloss to the Ladbrokes Irish PGA Championship at Seapoint Golf Club in Termonfeckin, Co Louth, starting on Thursday. David Higgins, who last week failed in his attempt to come through Stage One of the European Tour’s Qualifying at Dundonald in Scotland, will be seeking to consolidate his position atop the Irish Region order of merit.