GOLF:Tuesday morning, two hours before high noon, and Tiger Woods - as is his custom - is working his way up the 18th hole, putting in the final on-course shots of his day's work. Padraig Harrington is a late starter, but with good reason.

On Monday evening, he'd arrived at the revamped TPC at Sawgrass and hid away down at the back of the practice range working on his short game, trying to rediscover the timing that had gone astray in last weekend's Wachovia, where he suffered extremes of scoring.

The pursuit of a cure became obsessive, and it was five hours and the sun was setting before the clubs were put away and Harrington was happy with his lot.

Yesterday, he was back to his own, chirpier self as he contemplated another crack at The Players, a tournament that has flirted with him in recent years.

This course suits Harrington, as his runners-up finishes in 2003 and 2004 show. The question is, has he overcome the inconsistencies of last week, where his scores yo-yoed between lows of 66 and highs of 79?

"My swing was just mistimed (at Wachovia) and I didn't feel good. It wasn't there. I went out the first day and, even though I shot 66, I knew it wasn't there. I didn't have it in any shape or form," said Harrington, who is happy to be known around these parts as Paddy.

His explanation was that he had worked on "a new move" in his swing with coach Bob Torrance in the three weeks he'd had off since the Masters. Why?

"I'm always working on things and trying to get better, that's the nature of the game. It doesn't matter who you are, you can't stand still . . . but I probably had too much time off and was trying to rush getting into my swing rather than just allowing it to develop."

It would seem he has learned his lesson, and is hopeful the timing will be back not just for this week's tournament but also the Irish Open at Adare Manor next week and the following week's BMW PGA at Wentworth.

Such patience is the more usual trait that you associate with Harrington, who hasn't won on the US Tour since the Barclays Classic in 2005, but who captured the Dunhill Links last October and then won the Phoenix tournament in Japan in November.

Is a win not overdue?

"No. They do seem like a long time ago, but in terms of tournaments they're not too far ago. You've got to realise that to win an event a lot of things have to go right, as well as playing well. So, the key is to stay patient and wait for it to happen . . . I've got three big tournaments coming up and each one is demanding its own attention. It's a matter of focusing as I go along and not looking too much in the past."

And, despite The Players moving from its traditional date in March to this new slot in May, putting it a week ahead of the Irish Open, Harrington is convinced it is a good move for the tournament.

"It suits the TPC to be here. It fits in nicely between the Masters and the US Open. It's no secret they want this to be the fifth major and it needs this date to put it there."

Harrington, who will play the opening two rounds alongside Jim Furyk and Sergio Garcia in one of the tournament's marquee groups, certainly won't want a repeat of his driving from Wachovia where, in the second round, he hit only 14 per cent of fairways. In other words, he hit just the one in the round.

"I was struggling to fade the ball, lacked confidence on certain shots," he explained.

Yet, when he has experienced such troubles in the past, they've usually righted themselves. "You just have to let the timing come back, and I'm still happy with how I'm swinging the club."

And it helps when you're returning to a course that has more good memories than bad. In six appearances in the tournament, his only missed cut came last year (after successive 73s).

"You've got to think your way around this course. There's a lot of options all the way around, a lot of choices to be made . . . over the years, I think there's a lot of strategy to this course."

In other words, it is a thinker's course; and that, with its emphasis on patience, tends to suit Harrington.

Although he has not managed a win in 2007, Harrington's form has more often than not put him into contention at some stage of each tournament he has played this year.

"Besides last week, I've been happy with my game. It is all going in the right direction. I just need all the elements of the game to come together in the week to get a win. I'm quite comfortable with how I'm progressing."

Patience, you see, really is a virtue.