Padraig Harrington watched Ernie Els' fourth win in five events and announced - Winter is not the time to peak.

As exhausted Els took a week off from his record-breaking start to 2003, beaming Harrington breezed into Dublin's Holiday Inn to help a good cause.

The world number eight is just a week away from his 2003 debut in Malaysia but he admits that already he's raring to go after seven weeks off.

Back in his home town to support the 3Ts golf tournament in aid of suicide research, Harrington has found it hard to watch Els' brilliant play on TV.

But he admitted he'd prefer to rack up the victories during the main part of the season.

He said: "My own personal experience from my amateur days is that you can't play well all year.

"This is purely my own experience, nothing to do with Ernie. If you can only play well for three-quarters of the year better make it the other three seasons rather than the winter.

"I've always needed that long break during the winter. Okay you turn on the TV on a winter's Sunday and the weather is beautiful but you have to be disciplined to say that you can only play a certain number of tournaments during the year.

"I try to keep the tournaments I play below 30. I went over 30 last year while Tiger played 22 and he's at the top of the pile. A struggling player will play 35. It's very difficult."

But now Harrington is almost ready to hit the fairways and begin his quest for that first Major.

"Yes, it's getting to the stage when I'm getting ready to go out and play," he said. "I've been 42 days without playing a single hole of competitive golf.

"You need those breaks. I can't believe I had nine weeks of a break and only have two left.

"During the first four or five weeks I didn't want to touch a golf club - I had no interest. I did four hours practice for the first 28 days.

"I've practised in that time but I'm keen again and raring to get out there and play and compete.

"It will take me a good few weeks to get back that on-course sharpness but the goal is to get sharp for the Masters."

Harrington played 30 events last season but knows he can't afford to overdo it now.

"Playing just one event takes so much out of you that once you play over 30 it becomes detrimental.

"I've seen a lot of good players - not glamour players - who have gone through the season in Europe and then go on to Australia. By the time they come back to Europe they have had no time off and their game falls off.

"The hardest thing to do is sit out and not play. You know it's for your overall benefit. It's a catch 22 the better you play the more time you take off and the more time you take off the better you play."

After nursing his ankle and neck injuries with a special fitness programme, he admitted that he is not quite sure how things will work out.

"I've been working very hard at the injuries. I'm working on them . They are still work in progress but I'm getting there.

"The ankle is getting stronger which is the main thing. But my neck isn't the problem, it's my shoulder injury that comes on when I'm playing golf with a bad posture. When I'm off it doesn't flare up

"I just want to be in control of the mental side of my game which is obviously the hardest thing to practice. When you are off you are breaking down your mental game and it takes you quite a few weeks to get back."

Harrington plans to play six events in the run up to the Masters including the Accenture World Matchplay and the Player's Championship.

"I think last year I felt I wasn't quite sharp enough at the Masters. I just felt that my short game just wasn't quite ready for it. Hopefully short game wise and mentally I'll be ready for it. The long game is just work in progress."

Supported by Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley, the 3Ts - Turn The Tide - championship will run for four years to raise over ¤1,000,000 for research into the causes of suicide and benefit charities in Ireland.

The winner's of club fourballs will progress to regional play-offs with the top teams qualifying for the Irish finals at the Arnold Palmer designed K Club South course.

The Irish winner will qualify for the Granmd Final in South Africa in the autumn

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© Brian Keogh 2003

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