GOLF:This week, Pádraig Harrington will temporarily break into his paternity leave to play in a tournament. It's not any old tournament, of course: the Target World Challenge has a purse of $5.75 million, of which $1.35 million €900,000) goes to the winner.

And, with a field of just 16 players, including three of this year's major winners, it is a bit like an end-of-season jolly with more than a hint of a hard edge. It's a title everyone who tees up wants to win, especially with Tiger Woods as the host.

Harrington has headed to California with yet another accolade for his season's efforts. Yesterday, the 36-year-old Dubliner was unanimously named by the Irish Golf Writers' Association as the Professional of the Year, following a season that saw him win the British Open at Carnoustie in July on top of his victory in the Irish Open in May.

It is the second successive year Harrington has picked up the award.

The other recipients included Rory McIlroy, who collected the gold medal as leading amateur at the British Open in Carnoustie, as the men's Amateur of the Year; Karen Delaney, who captured the Irish Ladies' Close, as the women's Amateur of the Year; and Arthur Pierse, who has been given the Distinguished Services award in a season when he became the first Irishman to win the British Seniors Amateur Open.

All the winners will recognised at a dinner, sponsored by AIB, on January 4th in Dublin.

By week's end, Harrington could have more kudos to accept, as the European Tour player of the year is due to be announced in London. Last year, Harrington somewhat controversially was overlooked for that particular honour, despite topping the money list, in favour of England's Paul Casey.

For now, Harrington, who has not played since the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan last month, since when his wife, Caroline, has given birth to the couple's second son, the Target will be a temporary break in what is effectively his off-season. He doesn't intend to play again on the European Tour until the Abu Dhabi championship in late-January, before moving Stateside for the bulk of the early part of his season.

In the latest world rankings, Harrington remains at eighth (with England's Justin Rose, up to sixth, now the top European).

It is a measure of Woods's drawing power that 13 of the top-22 players in the world are competing in the World Challenge, although Angel Cabrera has been drawn to play in the South African Open. The Argentinian is the only major champion of the season to bypass the event in California.

Harrington is competing in Woods's tournament for a seventh straight time. It is a course where he has traditionally played well: the only time he finished outside the top-10 was his debut in 2001, when he was 13th. Since then, Harrington won the event in 2002 (holding off Woods down the stretch), and has confirmed his fondness for the course with a run of third, second, third and eighth.

Still, Harrington headed to California knowing he needs to take a serious look at his schedule for 2008, having played 32 tournaments (including winning in the Irish Open, Irish PGA and the British Open) in the past year. That is, he estimates, up to six tournaments too many.

However, he has already decided to add the Buick tournament on the US Tour next March on to his schedule (dropping the AT&T pro-am), as the event will be played on the same course at Torrey Pines as next year's US Open.

Any other changes he will make in his itinerary for 2008 are for another day, though, and he is part of a strong field in California this week that also includes Woods, Rose, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Rory Sabbatini, KJ Choi, Vijay Singh, Henrik Stenson, Zach Johnson, Davis Love, Luke Donald, Niclas Fasth, Paul Casey, Mark Calcavecchia and Fred Couples.

While Harrington plays in the megabucks World Challenge, which is an unofficial tournament, four Irish players will be competing in the €1 million South African Open, a sanctioned event on the European Tour.

McIlroy, who won his full tour card for the new season in just four appearances on sponsor's invitation as a professional at the tail of the 2007 season, returns to competition after a fortnight's break.

He will be joined in the field by Darren Clarke, Peter Lawrie and Colm Moriarty.

Cabrera, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen headline the field in what will be the final tournament on the European Tour before it breaks for the winter, resuming with the JoBurg Open on January 10th-13th.

Stephen Browne, who played in last week's Alfred Dunhill championship and eventually finished in tied-52nd to at least get his name onto the Order of Merit, is not guaranteed a place. Browne is second reserve and, if he doesn't get an automatic place in the field due to further drop outs, he at least has the fallback of playing in today's qualifying event where a number of places will be up for grabs.