US PGA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Did you know that only two players have finished in the top-10 in the three majors played this season? And, no, one of them isn't Tiger Woods. Here's a hint.

They're both European - is that Sam Torrance laughing in the background? - and, yes, they're both waiting for that first major win. You've got it: one is Sergio Garcia, and the other is Padraig Harrington.

Harrington's move into a major player has been seamless. Indeed, yesterday, standing on the driving range at Hazeltine as he did his customary pre-tournament routine, swinging the club with a head cover clasped tightly between chest and upper-arm, the Dubliner admitted his expectations are greater than anyone's as he heads into this week's US PGA, but that he is comfortable in his role as a championship contender.

"I feel better and more comfortable ranked seven in the world than at 14 in the world, so that means I have changed in the last couple of months," said Harrington. "But I'm quite happy that I can keep improving, there's plenty of room for improvement in all aspects of my game, and that does encourage me. It doesn't necessarily mean that I am going to get better, but I can get better. That's the big encouragement for me."

In fact, Harrington has dropped back one spot - to eighth - in the latest world rankings. Yet, it is the general sense of wellbeing in his game and the sense that he really belongs where he is that augurs so well as he seeks to maintain his major momentum.

In the three majors this season, Harrington has finished fifth (US Masters), eighth (US Open) and fifth (British Open), but, perhaps more pertinently, he has also led at significant stages.

This will be Harrington's first competitive appearance since his tied-fifth finish at Muirfield, but the two weeks haven't been wasted.

"There's always a question of trying to get things done, whether you're trying to rest, or trying to get into the gym, or doing some work on your swing. You've also got to fulfil some corporate obligations, so there's a lot to be done when you're off," said Harrington. "In fact, now that I'm back playing again, I can have some rest."

Part of the past fortnight, indeed, was spent working with his coach, Bob Torrance, in Largs, Scotland, and an indication of what is required to compete at this level in the modern game is that much of last evening was set aside for work with his sports psychologist, Bob Rotella.

"He encourages you to focus," explained Harrington, "to keep your head clear, and your mind on what you want to think about. Once you're swinging well, and I am obviously doing something right in that department, you have got to have the other side, the mental side, working. It's probably more important than the way that you're swinging the club.

"All I'm trying to do now is to focus in on this week and on this time. I'm just trying to get my head ready for the week, and that's the hard thing because there are expectations. A lot of them come from myself, and I am the only one that is going to deal with it."

Harrington need look back no further than this time last year when he missed the cut at the US PGA in Atlanta to remind himself to stay in the present.

"Last year I missed the cut because I got complacent, so it is never simple. My concentration lapsed because I was playing so well and took on shots that I shouldn't have taken on. Sometimes, when you are not playing well, you have an edge because your focus is that much stronger. So, it is important to also have that edge when you are playing well."

There is also a sense that Harrington has managed his time well when he does play. "I need a lot of breaks and next year I can see myself taking even more time off. The better you play, the more time you take off.

"It is a confidence thing as well, because when you take that time off you have got to really play well when you come back out. I'm now going into tournaments, especially events in Europe, a lot of the time as favourite and that is a lot different from going in hoping to play well. You now expect to play well."

Harrington yesterday got his first taste of Hazeltine - "Funnily enough, the major courses are the most predictable you get all year because on each of them you know you have to find the fairway and you know you have to find the green," he said - when he played nine holes with Paul McGinley, who finally gave a hint that he was rediscovering some form with a top-10 finish in his defence of the Wales Open at the weekend.

McGinley was one of those who jetted across the Atlantic on Sunday night - along with Darren Clarke, the third Irish player in the PGA field, Lee Westwood and manager Chubby Chandler - in the private jet of Terry Matthews, owner of the Celtic Manor resort. And the Dubliner, who has recently returned to using Bob Torrance as his coach, believes that he is escaping the poor form that dogged him for much of the season.

"I'm much better than I was, and feel that I can compete again," said McGinley. "My game's obviously not as good as I'd like it to be, but I feel I can compete again. This will be a good test this week, playing a tough golf course."

After missing the cut at Muirfield, McGinley - who had previously worked with Torrance for four years before linking up with Peter Cowen for a similar length of time - went back to the Scot for guidance and inspiration.

"I went to Pete because I felt I need more improvement with my short game and I played a lot of consistent golf last season," said McGinley. "But I worked too much on one thing and overdid it and went too far down the road. Now it's a case of getting back but it shouldn't take too long."

One element of Minnesota that pleasantly surprised McGinley was the weather. "I thought it was going to be hot, humid, sticky. Instead, it is like a good summer's day at home, bright and breezy," he remarked.