Padraig Harrington returns to action at the Malaysian Open on Thursday refreshed and raring to go following a nine-week break from golf. The Dubliner will renew his rivalry with the man who pipped him for the European number one spot last season, South Africa's Retief Goosen, who made his European Tour return to action last week in Perth.
World number nine Harrington, hoping to clinch his first Malaysian Open title after two second places, has played just three-and-a-half games of golf since December. Harrington admitted: "I played two-and-a-half rounds in Barbados and one round at home but for 42 days I didn't play a hole of golf. It's the biggest break I've had since turning professional. But I think I got it right this time because I have come here to play and that's a good sign you have taken a good break because when I finished in December, I didn't want to play."
Harrington ended 2002 by winning three of his closing seven stroke play events including November's BMW Asian Open, the opening event of the 2003 European schedule, and then his brilliant victory over Tiger Woods in the Target World Challenge. But the Irish number one played down any notion that his victory over Woods along with the impressive start to the year made by Ernie Els, who has won four of his five starts, would serve as a wake-up call to the American world number one.
He stressed: "Tiger has always been focussed on his game and what he is doing and I don't see that changing. I don't think he will be running scared. Other players are getting better and that is because we are learning from them."
Filed by Shane Murray
