Pebble Time for Harrington

Tiger Woods has dominated the build-up to the AT&T National Pro-am at Pebble Beach this week. Not surprising given the momentum he has created in his last four tournaments.

For Irish eyes though it is the appearance of Pádraig Harrington’s in the United States that is of the most interest, having not played on the other side of the Atlantic since September.

Ireland’s three-time major winner almost certainly has to win on Sunday to book himself a place in the first world championship of the season. Any failure to do that will damage his hopes of retaining his Ryder Cup spot later this year at Medinah

Harrington has played every Accenture Matchplay apart from the inaugural one in 1999, but he stands 93rd in the world and has to climb back into the top 65 to make the trip to Tucson later this month.

The Dubliner has turned to Dave Alred – the man who has linked up with world number one Luke Donald and rugby star Jonny Wilkinson – to help him this season They worked together for the first time in Abu Dhabi a fortnight ago.

Harrington came only 35th and wrote afterwards about Alred  “I am very excited about working with him and I can’t wait to get to see him again. I was asked about what he does. The best way I could explain it was that he doesn’t have new answers or questions, he merely asks the same questions but in a different way.

“He observed what I do and then gave his thoughts on how I could do it better. He has totally changed the way I will practice by giving it more meaning. The changes will have a huge effect for the rest of the year.”

Harrington plays in Pebble Beach with racehorse owner JP McManus and start on the Monterey Peninsular course on Thursday.

Woods will tee off at Spyglass Hill.

Rory Looking for Early Win

Rory McIlroy admits he is looking to get an early win under his belt this season as he prepares for the familiar challenge of the Dubai Desert Classic this week.

The US Open champion almost got his year off to the perfect start in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago, but eventually finished runner-up to Robert Rock in his first competitive outing of 2012.

A two-shot penalty in the second round ultimately proved costly for the Ulsterman, but he is hoping to put that frustration of that near miss behind him in the closing leg of the European Tour's Desert Swing.

Despite still being just 22 years of age, McIlroy will be making his seventh appearance at the event in Dubai this week and will be looking for another big performance having followed his maiden Tour victory there in 2009 with top-10 finishes the past two seasons.

"I've spent a good bit of time here in the past and, after playing in Abu Dhabi, spent the week here practicing, working on my game and I'm looking forward to this week," he told reporters.

"This is my seventh Dubai Desert Classic, I've played every year since '06 and I obviously got good memories of here from winning in '09 and being in contention the last couple of years.

"I feel like it's a golf course that I play well on and hopefully I can play well on it again.

"In Abu Dhabi I scored very well and was able to get myself in contention which was great.

"But I felt like I needed to work on a couple of things last week, which I did, and it feels like they're getting better.

"It's always nice to start off the season like that, I feel like I had a great chance to win and didn't quite do it, but it would be great to get a win under my belt pretty early this season and try and win here a place that I've won at before and a course I really enjoy to play."

Clarke and McIlroy Win Laureus Gongs

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke have both added a Laureus Award to the major titles they won last year.

On a festive Monday night in London when tennis ace Novak Djokovic beat a stellar group in winning the 'World Sportsman of the Year' Award and Kenya's 5,000 and 10,000 metre world champion Vivian Cheruiyot edged out golf's dynamic Yani Tseng to claim the 'World Sportswoman of the Year' Award, McIlroy was voted the 'Breakthrough of the Year' Award winner and Clarke won the 'Comeback of the Year' title.

McIlroy, 22, claimed his award thanks to claiming his first major title with a dazzling eight-shot victory in the US Open at Congressional. It made him the second youngest winner of a major.

His 43-year-old Ulster compatriot, Clarke, got the nod in his category for hoisting himself out of a slump to win The Open Championship at Royal St George's - also his first major title.

Double amputee Oscar Pistorius won the disability award. The South African 400-meter specialist known as 'The Blade Runner' won a silver medal in the relay at the able-bodied World Athletic Championships last year in South Korea, and had also been nominated for the 'Breakthrough' category won by McIlroy.

English football great Bobby Charlton was given the lifetime achievement award 54 years to the day after surviving the Munich air disaster that killed eight team-mates of his Manchester United team.

The 74-year-old Charlton was unable to personally receive the award. Laureus officials said he fell ill on Sunday and returned to Manchester on Monday for unspecified minor surgery.

United manager Alex Ferguson accepted the award on Charlton's behalf. He said Charlton was fine but "very annoyed" at not being able to attend the ceremony.

The winners were chosen by the 47 world renowned sports stars who make up the Laureus sports academy.

ALL THE WINNERS AND NOMINEES:

(Winners names in bold type):

World Sportsman of the Year:

Usain Bolt, Novak Djokovic, Lionel Messi, Dirk Nowitzki, Sebastian Vettel, Cadel Evans

World Sportswoman of the Year:

Vivian Cheruiyot, Maria Höfl-Riesch, Carmelita Jeter, Petra Kvitova, Homare Sawa, Yani Tseng

World Sports Team of the Year

All Blacks, FC Barcelona, Dallas Mavericks, England Cricket Team, Japan Women's Football Team, Red Bull F1 team

World Breakthrough of the Year:

Yohan Blake, Petra Kvitova, Rory McIlroy, Li Na, Oscar Pistorius, Mo Farah

World Comeback of the Year:

Eric Abidal, Darren Clarke, Crusaders, Sergio Garcia, Liu Xiang, Queensland Reds

World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability:

Daniel Dias, Terezinha Guilhermina, Oscar Pistorius, Esther Vergeer, David Weir, Irek Zaripov

World Action Sportsperson of the Year:

Jamie Bestwick, Philip Köster, Carissa Moore, Travis Rice, Kelly Slater, Shaun White

Young Friends Reunited

A debut campaign on The European Tour can be a daunting prospect for any golfer making his way in the game, and especially if most of your friends and family are several thousand miles away. 

Young American Scott Pinckney finds himself in just that situation, but it certainly helps that he has the reigning US Open Champion and one of the game’s most recognisable names on speed dial. 

Pinckney’s joy was there for all to see after he secured his European Tour playing privileges at last year’s Qualifying School Final Stage, where he closed with a best-of-the-day round of 65 to take the 24th card available. 

His delight was due not just to the fact that he would soon be rubbing shoulders with some of the game’s greatest exponents, but also because it meant he would be renewing acquaintances with one of his childhood friends, a certain Rory McIlroy.

The par first met as fresh-faced eight year olds during the Doral Junior Publix, a junior tournament held annually in Miami, Florida. 

“We became really good friends after that,” said Pinckney. “We played a practice round together then took each other on at table football and other games, and our friendship just grew from there. Our two families also got to know each other quite well, and they’ve since developed a pretty close relationship.”

So close, in fact, that four years later Gerry and Rosie McIlroy put their young son on a plane bound for Utah. For the next three months McIlroy stayed with the Pinckneys, playing various junior events and generally eating, sleeping and breathing golf. 

Pinckney recalls their time together fondly, saying: “We had a lot in common – even at 12, we both had a burning desire to become professional golfers. It never even entered our heads that we would do something else with our lives. It was just golf, golf, golf.

“So we shared the same dreams and aspirations, and we talked about the game a lot. It was pretty clear back then that he had something special. At that age it was obviously only potential, but he’s certainly lived up to that potential ever since.”

Never more so than last June at Congressional Country Club, where an opening round of 65 was the prelude to a victory procession which made the world stand up and take notice of the prodigiously talented 22 year old from Holywood, Northern Ireland.

Pinckney was on hand to congratulate his old friend, having successfully pre-qualified for the event; and whilst their meeting in Maryland was only a relatively brief one, he is hoping to see much more of McIlroy now that they are both plying their trade on the same Tour. 

He said: “We keep in touch via email and phone all the time, and this year we’ll hopefully be crossing paths a few times. Before flying onto the Challenge Tour event in India [where he finished tied 43rd], I spent a week with him practising in Dubai, and it was great to catch up with him.

“Obviously when we see each other we don’t only talk about golf, but I do try to pick his brains whenever I get the chance. There’s so much I can learn from him – I really admire his confidence on the course, for example, and the way he handles pressure and being in the spotlight.

“It was heartbreaking to see him throw it away at the Masters, but the way he bounced back at the US Open was so impressive, and really confirmed to me what I’ve always known. He’s a great guy, and a special talent. It’s going to be pretty tough catching up with him, but it’ll be fun trying.”

Gary Makes The Cut Line

Recently retired European Tour pro Gary Murphy is well known inside the ropes for his charm and wit and he could very well turn out to be the next David Feherty of the golf TV world. 

Starting next Saturday Gary hosts a series of interviews on Setanta Sports Ireland’s new golf show “The Cut Line”. The first episode of The Cut Line features Padraig Harrington who thinks Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell should line out for Great Britain in the 2016 Olympics.

Golf will make its Olympic debut in 2016 and Padraig Harrington has set his sights on bringing back the gold from Rio de Janeiro, while also suggesting Rory McIlroy should represent Great Britain at the Games. Click here for full article

Harrington's interview is just the first in a new series of hour long interviews on Setanta’s The Cut Line. 

Future episodes will feature Gary Murphy talking with Shane Lowry, Des Smyth and others.

The Cut Line will premiere on Setanta Ireland on Saturday, February 4 at 10pm.

Harrington - McIlroy should represent GB at Olympics