Harrington in confident mood

GOLF: In a way, the inconvenience of it all, the weather delays and the missed airline flights, were worth it for Padraig Harrington.

Although he couldn't catch pillar-to-post winner Ben Curtis in the weather-plagued Booz Allen Classic at the TPC at Avenel in Maryland, the Dubliner, poised for a second successive top-five finish in America, returns in confident form to Europe for four tournaments in a five-week stint that is the fulcrum of his season.

On a day when the weather klaxon sounded with all the repetitiveness of a dripping tap, causing an initial six-hour delay, Harrington managed to finish his delayed final round just moments before a further suspension at which stage runaway leader Curtis, en route to his first title success anywhere since the 2003 British Open, was on the 17th hole. Play will resume again today.

Harrington completed his tournament with a closing 66 for 269, 15-under, in tied-second, before belatedly departing for the French Open in Paris.

Harrington's tour schedule takes in this week's French Open at Paris National, an event added to his itinerary at Ian Woosnam's behest in the quest to secure his Ryder Cup berth sooner rather than later, next week's Smurfit Kappa European Open at The K Club, followed by a week off, and then the British Open at Hoylake and the Deutsche Bank TPC of Europe at Gut Kaden.

With over 17 million in prize money on offer in the four tournaments that Harrington is playing over the next five weeks, it represents a gilt-edged opportunity to strengthen his position in the Ryder Cup standings. Although he boosted his world points standing with his finish in Maryland, Harrington - who has slipped back out of an automatic place in the standings, marginally behind current 10th automatic choice Kenneth Ferrie - at least knows that all of the events he is playing in from here on in to the final Ryder Cup qualifying tournament, the BMW International in August, carry dual points towards the world points table and the European points list.

When he returned to complete his final five holes in the Booz Allen yesterday, Harrington moved into second place on his own with a birdie on the 15th only to slip back into a tie for second alongside Billy Andrade, Steve Stricker and Nick O'Hern with a bogey on the par-three 17th. It was Harrington's first dropped shot in 35 holes of golf.

The bad weather which plagued the Booz Allen, forcing the first Monday finish on the US Tour since Phil Mickelson's win in the US PGA last year, also had a knock-on effect for the R&A who were forced to put back the International Qualifying scheduled for Congressional.

Harrington is joined by Paul McGinley - "I feel I need to continue playing, to come through this (spell)," he remarked - in France, as well as Graeme McDowell, Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane, Gary Murphy and Michael Hoey.

Philip Walton, a former French Open champion, has received an invite to play as the tournament celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Another player due to make a rare appearance on tour is Seve Ballesteros, who hasn't played since the Madrid Open last September but who has entered for next month's British Open at Hoylake.

Walton has also received a sponsor's invite to play in the European Open next week.

He is one of three Irishmen to be given invites, along with former British amateur champion Brian McElhinney and David Higgins, who didn't get in off his tour ranking. US Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman has also been given an invite to play at The K Club. Lehman has also signalled his intention to play in the following week's Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, when Fred Couples will also be in the field, in the build-up to Hoylake.

While McElhinney can look forward to only his second appearance on the full tour in next week's European Open, the Donegalman will attempt to make back-to-back cuts on the Challenge Tour for the first time when he competes in the Madrid Challenge this week where he is joined in the field by Justin Kehoe and John Kelly.

On the European Seniors Tour, Denis O'Sullivan, Eamonn Darcy, Eddie Polland, Jimmy Heggarty and John Curtis play in the London Masters at Wentworth.

BOOZ ALLEN CLASSIC : (Potomac, Maryland, par 71. Play suspended due to rain). Leading positions - 22 under: B Curtis (after 16 holes); 15 under: B Andrade, P Harrington, N O'Hern (17), S Stricker (16); 14 under: B Crane, J Gove, R Allenby (17). 13 under: D Chopra (17), B Quigley (16); 11 under: J Coceres, M Allen; 10 under: J Kaye, S Flesch, J Byrd, K Perry, H Slocum, S Maruyama, G Waite, J Kelly.