Tour news: As ever with Padraig Harrington, there are no half-measures. Having decided to take up his card on the US Tour for 2005, the 33-year-old Dubliner, who remains number eight in the latest world rankings, has significantly shifted the emphasis on the early part of his season away from Europe to play more frequently in the United States.

Indeed the sea change in his itinerary for next season as compared to this will see Harrington play 15 tournaments in the first half of the season up to the British Open. This year, for instance, he had played only 10 by the time the season's third major was held at Troon.

One of the casualties of Harrington's new-look schedule is the Dubai Desert Classic, with the player opting instead to play back-to-back tournaments in Florida, the Ford Championship at Doral and the Honda Classic in Palm Beach. "Basically," he said, "I have taken out a lot of the long-haul flights so I can play more tournaments together in the US."

As he confirmed at last week's World Matchplay, Harrington has also decided to put the PGA Championship at Wentworth back on his schedule (with Volvo dropping their sponsorship, a new sponsor, believed to be BMW, is due to be announced shortly). That it comes after the Nissan Irish Open is a factor in that scheduling.

"I'm looking forward to the end of the season and to next year a lot," said Harrington, who launched a new putting aid - the Easy-putt - at Powerscourt yesterday. "I've had an interesting season, one of those where you learn a lot. I certainly understand my swing more now than I did this time last year. I've put a lot of work in, and it is coming together better. It's not breaking down as much.

"I played poorly in the middle of the year because I got very frustrated with the fact that I was playing great on the range but terrible on the golf course, which has never been my problem. I've always been the other way around, where if I hit it poorly on the range I could still go out and play well."

He added: "I'm looking forward to the end of the year. I feel like I've improved every part of my game. I've got on top of it and know where I am going. I've a good outlook now, and that's why I am looking forward to 2005. I'm getting to the stage where there is less work to be done on my swing, which gives me more time on my short game and my mental game. I'm in a good position and really feel very positive that my game is going in the right direction."

Harrington also revealed he is happy with the partnership he struck up with new caddie Ronan Flood (who started work with him after the TPC of Europe in late-May), and would like to see the alliance continue, but that "it is a decision for Ronan to make".

Having played for six straight weeks, Harrington has a rare week away from tournament play before resuming with next week's Volvo Masters in Valderrama and, then, the following week's Tour Championship in Atlanta. He then has a week's break before teaming up with Paul McGinley in the World Cup in Seville, and then continuing his globetrotting, taking in tournaments in Asia, South Africa and the US before his winter break.

Harrington claims he is now playing with a new type of confidence in his ability and his game, which is why he expects so much of himself in the closing months of this year and on into next season. "When I am confident within myself, I tend to select my clubs better and play my own game better and do my own thing better. I don't get distracted. I hit the shots I feel like hitting at the time, and that is probably the biggest thing I have learned this year, that there is a huge difference between confidence and self-confidence.

"When you are self-confident, you don't care how you're playing because you'll go out there and do the right thing. I've played more to my strengths in the past few months. I have more confidence to play the hole the way I want to play it. When you've good self-confidence, you play the golf course the way you see it," he said.

Of the putting device that he has endorsed, which is the first training device he has put his name to, Harrington remarked: "I've been asked to endorse a number of devices over the years. I have them all, every gadget and gizmo going. I've tried them all, but the problem with a lot of them is you get a little bit of a benefit, but there's always a trade-off. It's not the be all and end all.

"I'm very impressed with the Easy-putt that, unlike other devices, as you use it, you become less dependent on it. It shows you a good putting stroke, but when I go out on the golf course I don't feel like there is something missing as I am over a putt . . . this device allows you to do it subconsciously."

Designed by Tipperary inventor Jim Hourihane, it will retail for around €100.

While Harrington has a week off, and Darren Clarke has also decided not to play in this week's Disney Classic in the belief he has won enough money to make the Tour Championship in a fortnight (he is 27th, with the top-30 getting in), the Irish challengers in this week's Madrid Open are Graeme McDowell, Peter Lawrie, Gary Murphy and Damien McGrane. Of the four, only McDowell is qualified for Valderrama, which is confined to Order of Merit's top 60.

Harrington's 2005 Schedule

(Up to British Open)

Feb 17th-20th: Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur.

23rd-27th: Accenture Matchplay, La Costa.

Mar 3rd-6th: Ford Championship, Doral.

10th-13th: Honda Classic, Palm Beach.

24th-27th: Players Championship, Sawgrass.

Mar 31st-Apr 3rd: BellSouth Championship, Atlanta.

Apr 7th-10th: US Masters, Augusta National.

May 5th-8th: Wachovia Championship, Charlotte.

12th-15th: Byron Nelson Classic, Irving.

19th-22nd: Nissan Irish Open, Carton House.

26th-29th: (European) PGA Championship, Wentworth.

Jun 9th-12th: Booz Allen Classic, Congressional

16th-19th: US Open, Pinehurst.

23rd-26th: Barclays Classic, Westchester.

Jun 30th-Jul 3rd: Smurfit European Open, The K Club.

Jul 14th-17th: British Open, St Andrews