IF LAST week's winner of the Dimension Data Pro-Am tournament, and former world number one, Nick Price is any judge of character, then Padraig Harrington will bounce back from Sunday's disappointing finale at Sun City to continue his Ryder Cup roll in South Africa this week.

Price parred the last two holes in the Dimension Data for a runaway victory, but he watched with concern as his young Irish playing-partner bogeyed them both in the fading light. Price is, however, expecting Harrington to be back in the running for this week's South African PGA Championship at the Houghton course in Johannesburg.

"Padrnig is one of the most complete young players I've played with," said three-times major-winner Price. He thumps his chest to illustrate: "He's got it there. I've practised with him and I also played with him in the South African Open. At first he struggled playing out of the Kikuyu grass because he wasn't used to it. It's a particular knack. He soon got the hang.

"Last week I really felt for him bogeying the last two holes because the light was not good. I could see, but he obviously couldn't that well, and he probably wanted to walk in but didn't want to bring the tournament back the next morning. I don't expect it got him down, though. He's got too much heart."

As if to echo Price's assessment Harrington, who is halfway through a 10-event start to the season, was indeed preparing to dust himself down and get on with his latest bid to move up the Ryder Cup table. "It's no good crying over spilt milk," said the Stackstown professional.

"I'm a wiser man for last week even though there won't be too many chances to be wise like that again because that kind of situation isn't going to crop up very often. And if I'd parred the last two holes it would have been a different story."

Harrington had already turned his thoughts away from last week to this one, a little worried that his swing was not as tidy as it used to be. "It's hard to understand how you can take a year to change something in your swing, finally get it right and then it can go wrong in a day," he said. "I was playing really well on Sunday and then not, very good at all on Tuesday.

He will need to get in shape, for the total prize fund is only £300,000. Clinching the top purse, of £47,460 could, however, take him all the way to sixth place on the Ryder Cup table, directly behind Darren Clarke, who is not, competing in this tournament and who slipped a spot through missing the cut last week.

Harrington has said he is playing 10 successive events "because I don't have anything better to do", but he is aware of the progress he can make in that time.

"I'm trying not to think about Ryder Cup places, but I can't help be aware of what's happening each week," he said.

Both Clarke and Paul McGinley have been on safari near Cape Town. McGinley, who does play this week in Johannesburg, missed practice yesterday. "I've played three events here, so I know the course," said McGinley. Anxious to prevent any slide down the table, Clarke has gone on to Dubai to get in early practice for the highly lucrative Desert Classic.