THE fuss about this year's European Rookie of the Year Award may be considered rather parochial in some quarters, because a leading candidate happens to be Ireland's Padraig Harrington. However, the fact remains that the 25 year old continues to set impressive standards. The Sarazen World Open here at Chateau Elan last weekend provided another example.
As it happens, the announcement of the award has been postponed for another few weeks, possibly until the end of this month. Either way, Irish colleague Paul McGinley has no doubt about the quality of Harrington's debut season on tour.
"Padraig easily deserves the award ahead of Thomas Bjorn (the other leading candidate)," said McGinley, who has known Harrington for more than 15 years as a near neighbour in Rathfarnham. "The thing that impresses me most is his unwavering self belief. Chateau Elan was a tricky, difficult course yet he emerged as the best of us.
"Since he arrived on tour he has avoided the classic pitfalls, there has been no seeking advice from different coaches or fiddling around with different golf equipment. He came here as a very mature guy who knew that his golf game was ready.
"By any standards he's had a fabulous year and, believe me, he's opened quite a few eyes among the experienced guys on tour. Only exceptional players have managed to get nine top 10 finishes, including a tournament victory, in their first season out here. I know Gordon Brand Jnr won twice in his first year, but that was in 1982. The competition is a lot tougher now."
McGinley can speak with some authority on early development in professional ranks, having captured the UAP Under 25 Championship in 1991, less than two months after joining the paid ranks. As a thoroughly dedicated practitioner, he knows what it takes to reach the forefront of the tour's money earners.
The $19,450 that Harrington earned for a share of 19th place here last weekend brought his tournament winnings for the season to around £296,723. And with this week's Hassan Trophy in Morocco and the World Cup on his schedule, he is likely to clear £300,000 comfortably before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, McGinley headed for Los Angeles yesterday with his fiancee, Allison Shapcott. While there, he will meet up with his younger brother, Michael, the current North of Ireland champion who is on a golf scholarship at Saddleback College in south Los Angeles.
"It will be an opportunity to see how he's progressing before travel on to Australia," he said. His plan there is to compete in the PGA Championship and Australia Open, both of which are being played in Sydney. But he is also keen to compete in the Greg Norman Classic at Royal Melbourne, provided it doesn't affect the plans for his wedding on December 7th.
Philip Walton, whose closing 70 was the best of the Irish trio on Sunday, has decided that he must strengthen his legs in preparation for next season. "I'm not suggesting that this was responsible for my disappointing season (he slipped to 92nd in the money list with £71,565), but my legs shouldn't be feeling so tired after playing a round," he said. "So I'm planning an intensive training schedule during my winter break."
Frank Nobilo, who retained the Sarazen with a four stroke victory over Scott Hoch, received an unexpected bonus on Sunday. He has been plagued all year by shoulder problems which baffled medical people in Europe, but after an examination before play on Sunday morning, a US surgeon specialising in sports injuries claimed the condition was operable.
"It would be a tremendous bonus if he could put it right," said the 36 year old New Zealander, who has his heart set on a career in the US. "One of the main problems has been an inability to practise as much as I would like. And there is the ongoing fear of the shoulder stiffening up in cold weather."
There were some noteworthy happenings on the tournament scene elsewhere last weekend. A major stir was caused here in the US by Lee Trevino's victory in the Emerald Coast Classic in which he was involved in a play off with Dave Stockton, Bob Eastwood, Mike Hill and David Graham.
It was the biggest play off in the history of the US Seniors' Tour and by sinking a 35 foot downhill birdie putt, 57 year old Trevino secured his first victory of the season. More significantly, it was his 27th win as a senior, matching the 27 victories he had on the regular tour.
"I had quit many times this year, thinking I would just go home," he said, referring to recurring shoulder and back problems. "What kept me playing was that I simply love the game.
"I had my bags packed and my shoes off and was headed out the door when somebody told me that Stockton had bogeyed the 17th and 18th. Then I had to go rob a sheriff's deputy who I had given all my golf balls to."
Victory in the Alfred Dunhill Masters in Hong Kong came too late to extend Bernhard Langer's sequence of wins on the European tour to 17 successive seasons. But it still kept him among an elite group to have won at least one event per year over an extended period of years.
He matches the achievement of Arnold Palmer, among others, but remains a long way short of the world record. This is held by Gary Player who won at least one tournament per year from 1955 to 1981 a run of 27 years.
