Harrington bids to reign in Spain
Pádraig Harrington. Picture: Getty Images
Pádraig Harrington will renew his love-hate relationship with Valderrama this week in a late bid to continue his surge up the Race to Dubai rankings.
The Dubliner (47) is 86th in the standings with only the top 60 qualifying for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
And that means he needs to make sure he makes the field for next month’s $7million Turkish Airlines Open on merit if he’s to continue his quest to make it to Dubai for just the fifth time in nine years.
He was fourth behind Justin Rose in Turkey after receiving an invitation for the Rolex Series event last year and as he did not qualify by right as one of the top 70 available players, his €296,003 prize money did not count in the Race to Dubai standings.
"After the British Masters I am 86th in the Race to Dubai, which is generally around the number to qualify for Turkey," said Harrington, whose late entry meant he required an invitation for the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation, joining Shane Lowry and Gavin Moynihan in the field.
"However, I could do with being a few spots higher to be sure of getting in, so I’ve added Valderrama in the hope of moving up further."
Harrington played in eight Volvo Masters at Valderrama, famously finishing tied for second in 2006 to edge out Paul Casey for the Order of Merit by just over €35,000.
It was also the scene of a disappointing share of fourth behind Justin Rose the following year that ultimately saw the Englishman pip him for a second successive European No 1 crown.
While Harrington prefers threading his way between the cork oaks than hacking out of heather, as he was forced to do en route to a share of 22nd in last week's British Masters, Valderrama is not one of his favourite venues.
"I have always found it a tough one to play," he said. "That said, I have performed well there over the years, so it is not a case of me not being able to play the course.
"I am not afraid of tough courses. At times they make me focus better than an easy course."
While he had one win and two runner-up finishes when the Volvo Masters was played at Montecastillo, Harrington has finished outside the top 20 just three times in nine appearances at Valderrama.
His excellent run of recent form means he's going there with high hopes despite getting little reward for some good play from tee to green at Walton Heath, where he had ten three-putts and finished nine shots behind winner Eddie Pepperell.
"The greens were fast, and it was exceptionally windy, so I would say the field had more three-putts this week than most," he wrote on his blog. "However it is still a big number.”
Feeling good after recording three top ten finishes in his last five starts, he added: "My form has been good, so hopefully I can take that form into the week because I certainly need a decent performance."
Harrington played with Lowry in the final round at Walton Heath, and after finishing 34th there, the Offaly man will also be keen to move up into the top 60 from 63rd in the Race to Dubai at a course where he was fourth in 2011 and tied 12th last year.
Only Rory McIlroy has qualified for next week’s WGC HSBC Champions in Shanghai but with the top 64 available players from the Race to Dubai the week after Turkey eligible for the $7m Rolex Series Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, there’s much at stake over the next few weeks.
The Andalucia Valderrama Masters is the final regular season event for players hoping finish in the top 110 to retain their European Tour cards.
Garcia returns to defend his title as he plays for the first time since becoming the record points-scorer in the Ryder Cup, beating Nick Faldo's record by a half a point with a total of 25.5.
Harrington also joins the victorious 2018 Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjørn in the field, as well as two more of the Vice Captains - 23-time European Tour winner Lee Westwood and another former European Tour Number One Robert Karlsson.
As for the battle to retain cards, Welshman Bradley Dredge fell from 110th to 111th after missing the cut in the British Masters. He’s just one spot ahead of France's European Tour four-time winner Raphael Jacquelin, who also failed to make it to the weekend.
Bubble boys - Race to Dubai
107 Scott Jamieson 346,035
108 David Drysdale 340,522
109 Satoshi Kodaira 336,565
110 Fabrizio Zanotti 334,838
111 Bradley Dredge 334,731
112 Raphael Jacquelin 330,964
113Justin Walters 324,6191
114 Romain Wattel 318,344
