Harrington in right spirit

When Padraig Harrington walked up to the 17th green the other day, he had an extra club in his bag. A spirit level. "For some reason, I tend to remember the bad shots from last year more than the good ones, and I putted off that green twice last year," remarked the Dubliner, by way of explaining why the carpenter's tool became an integral part of his preparations for his second appearance in the US Masters.

So it was that Harrington and his caddie, Dave McNeilly, spent a considerable amount of time using the spirit level to determine the precise slopes and undulations on the green. All of which also served as an indication of how, a year on from his debut, the player has been able to focus his mind on preparing for the first major of the season.

Last year, Harrington was a late arrival, travelling in from Brazil where he had just won the Brazil Open. "It was all a bit of a rush," he confessed. In contrast, this time round, he spent all of last week practising at Sawgrass, arrived here on Sunday and played the Par-3 course before sampling the full course for the first time on Monday.

"I spent a lot of time practising last week, and I'm trying to recover from it now. My timing is a little bit out, which is what you expect after doing so much intensive practice. In many ways, it would be even better if I was playing a different tournament this week and had the Masters next week. I could have played a few more tournaments into this, but it's a long year - and what are you going to do? You're always trying to get things right, and maybe I have got it right. Let's wait and see."

He is standing under the veranda of the colonial clubhouse, sheltered from the first drops of rain which have accompanied the hooter alert to signal bad weather in the area. Harrington is very much at home, relaxed, and giving a nod of recognition to some of the game's legends. Gary Player brushes by with a pat on the Irishman's shoulder, and Sam Snead gives a wave.

"You always get a buzz coming back here," acknowledged Harrington. "It's a bit like going to St Andrews. Last year, my first time here, it was a really big deal but there is still a buzz this year too, if not quite the same."

In terms of preparation, however, so much has changed in a year. "Very different," he admitted. "Last year, I prepared with tournament play (back-to-back events in South America) and this year I've prepared with practice. To be honest, a bit of both would have helped get the job done because too much practice doesn't help either."

Expectations? "We'll just have to get up and running and see how things go. I'm not even thinking that far ahead just yet, just focusing in on getting my preparations right and trying to get my game into shape. When the tournament comes, I'll be ready."

In practice, although yesterday's inclement weather impacted on the plans of all the players, Harrington has been working mainly on the short game, "pitch and runs, flop shots, that sort of stuff," he said, but he also emphasised the importance of good iron play. "If you get the ball to within 15 feet of the hole, then the slopes aren't really that severe. It's when you start hitting the ball onto the wrong level, 30 to 40 feet away, that you tend to get the really big swings - so, good iron play is a big advantage around here."

It may be only his second time here, but there is a sense that the pupil is learning well.