World Matchplay Championship:Padraig Harrington has an extra reason for wanting his first win at Wentworth this weekend - he is in danger of losing his position as European number one.
The British Open champion, runner-up to Ian Woosnam in the HSBC World Matchplay after a final of brilliant scoring in 2001, could be overtaken by any of his four closest challengers at the top of the money list.
If Harrington was to lose his opening round clash with Anders Hansen, the Dane who won the BMW PGA Championship on the course in May, the door would be open to Justin Rose, Ernie Els, Niclas Fasth and Henrik Stenson.
Having won his first major at Carnoustie in July you might think that the 36-year-old Dubliner was content with what he has done this season. But that is not how Harrington operates.
"Firstly, I am leading the Order of Merit and so I want to win it," he said."Secondly, I admire the fact that Monty (Colin Montgomerie, another of this week's 16-strong field) has won it eight times. Eight is incredible and I'm not sure it will ever be beaten, but two would not be too bad."
Such is Harrington's desire to hang on to the crown he captured last October by pipping Paul Casey on the last day of the season that he even raised an amazing possibility. Next week he is in Bermuda competing against Masters champion Zach Johnson, US Open winner Angel Cabrera and world number three Jim Furyk for the PGA Grand Slam. But, although it was the first his manager Adrian Mitchell knew about it, he said that if he felt the need he might consider playing in the Portuguese Masters starting the following day.
Harrington said: "It's unlikely, but my manager often gets a call from me after I've missed a cut asking if he can get me in to an event the next week. You can never tell with me - I've changed my mind in the past."
Rose's second place to Nick Dougherty in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews on Sunday brought him less than £22,000 behind Harrington and he is definitely playing in Portugal as well as the season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama on November 1st-4th. Rose is in the other half of the draw to Harrington this week and he has an extra incentive as well. Reaching the semi-finals should take him into the world's top 10 for the first time.
Not that it will be easy. He opens against up-and-coming American Hunter Mahan and, if successful, would face a second-round match against either South Africa's world number eight Rory Sabbatini, or Dane Soren Hansen, who at seventh on the Order of Merit still has time to get all the way to the top.
Harrington, aware that his tournament could be over in one day this week, admits he is being driven by fear. "I tend to play better with fear than I do with confidence," he explained.
"Fear is not a good emotion to work with because obviously it is more stressful, but it has worked for me over the years. For the first six or seven years on Tour I came out with the fear that my game wouldn't be there and I would wake up and be back to being not good enough.
"It's something that drives me on. There was a certain fear after the Open that I will struggle because of the motivation after you win so big that you feel like you've made it. That certainly is making me want to get out and work on my game - I'm fearful that I will take it easy. It would be nice to be confident, but that's just not me. I am a strange person."
