European No. 1 Harrington sets sights on HSBC

Irish star Padraig Harrington, who claimed the coveted 2006 European Tour Order of Merit title at the weekend, is already looking for a flying start to his 2007 campaign at the HSBC Champions next week.

Harrington squeezed past last year’s HSBC Champions winner David Howell and 2006 HSBC World Match Play Champion Paul Casey to secure his place at the top of the rankings for the first time by finishing in second place at the Volvo Masters in Spain behind Indian Jeev Milkha Singh.

The Irishman, who also won the Alfred Dunhill Championship in Scotland last month, said: “This has been a big goal of mine down the years. When I started I would have been happy to be a journeyman, finishing 75th every year.

"So to have won the Order of Merit makes me very proud and hopefully I can keep going forward and can carry the flag of European Number One well for a year. Who knows? Maybe I can come back better and stronger and win it again!

"I am already looking forward to the HSBC Champions as a win there would be the perfect start to the 2007 race and it would be very special to win the ‘Champion of Champions’ title."

Casey and Howell, who were placed one and two on the European Tour Order of Merit ahead of the Volvo Masters, saw their campaigns blighted by a stomach illness and shoulder injury respectively and both will be looking forward to a fresh start at the HSBC Champions.

Casey will be going for the HSBC double, aiming to hold both HSBC titles in one calendar year while Howell hopes to defend a title which last year saw him take home the biggest cheque of his career.

The field will be the strongest ever seen in China with 10 of the world’s top-20 players already confirmed including world number one Tiger Woods, the second-ranked Jim Furyk, two-time US Open winner Retief Goosen, and Harrington's European Ryder Cup teammates Colin Montgomerie and Luke Donald.

The international field is represented by over 20 countries and is the only tournament where winners from around the world are rewarded with an invitation to compete against the world’s leading players for the largest prize fund on offer in Asia at US$5 million.

The HSBC Champions will be played at the Sheshan International Golf Club with winners from four leading golf tours and the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking qualifying. The event is co-sanctioned by The European Tour, Asian Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia, the Sunshine (Southern Africa) Tour and the China Golf Association.

October 31, 2006

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