Harrington has opportunity in Rome

This week's Italian Open will provide Ireland's Padraig Harrington with a golden opportunity to replace Retief Goosen on top of the European Tour order of merit for the second tournament in a row.

Second-placed Harrington trails Goosen, who topped last year's money list, by just 54,029 euros ($53,170) in the standings and the South African will not be in Rome this week, having decided to play in the U.S. Tour's season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta, Georgia.

World number seven Harrington was well-placed to move ahead of Goosen at last week's Madrid Open but the Irishman, tournament leader by one going into the final round, wasted the chance by closing with a one-over-par 72.

He and Goosen, who fired a final-round 67, ended up in a three-way tie for seventh at 15-under 269, the order of merit gap between the two remaining unchanged.

"It was a week that had great potential but it ended up really disappointing," Harrington said of the Madrid Open.

"My confidence was gone at the end but now I'm looking forward to Italy."

The 59th Italian Open is the penultimate event on the 2002 European Tour schedule before the season ends with next week's Volvo Masters at Valderrama in Spain.

While the battle for the order of merit title will dominate both events, this week's tournament at Rome's Olgiata Golf Club will go a long way to determining the money list's top 115, who will automatically secure all-exempt status for the 2003 tour.

The Italian Open also offers a final chance for players to force their way into the limited field of 66 for next week's event in Spain.

The season-ending Volvo Masters brings together the leading 55 players in the European order of merit, the event's previous five winners and six special invitees.

Frenchman Gregory Havret, who won his maiden European Tour title in Sardinia last year after edging out Bradley Dredge of Wales, is playing in Rome this week as defending champion.

Seven other former Italian Open winners are also in the field -- 1976 champion Baldovino Dassu of Italy, compatriot Massimo Mannelli (1980), Englishmen Mark James (1982), Jim Payne (1996) and Ian Poulter (2000), Scotland's Dean Robertson (1999) and Patrik Sjoland of Sweden (1998).

The tournament is one of the oldest on the European Tour, having been first staged in 1925.

Past champions include former major winners Tony Jacklin of England (in 1973), American Billy Casper (1975), Germany's Bernhard Langer (1983 and 1997) and Scotland's Sandy Lyle (1984 and 1992).

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