Volvo MastersWho truly knows the inner workings of his mind? If you say black, he'll say white. If you say square, he'll say circle.

Yet, on one point, Padraig Harrington is in full agreement. If the Dubliner is to fulfil one of his career goals and claim the PGA European Tour's Order of Merit, then he probably will have to win the Volvo Masters.

For tomorrow's first round here, as is tradition in this season-ending tournament with its huge prize purse, Harrington has been paired in the final two-ball with money leader Paul Casey. It means he can keep one eye on the player in pole position to claim the money title.

But Harrington, a far more experienced player than the one in 2002 who came into the event on the shirt-tail of Retief Goosen, is also well aware his real focus is on contending in the tournament with the aim of winning. By doing that, one solution solves the other.

Back in 2002, Harrington trailed Goosen by just €27,825 heading into the final counting event. Neither played particularly well, and Harrington's quest for a quick start was stymied by incorrectly marking his ball on what he thought was the first green, only to discover he was actually off the putting surface. It resulted in a two-shot penalty and effectively scuppered his bid before it got started.

"From experiences like that, you learn," he observed.

"I've definitely improved as a player since 2002," he added. "I'm going in here quite positive. It is hard to win any tournament straight out. It's hard to win any tournament and have the expectation of trying to win.

"It's like I'm leading the tournament on a Tuesday, and that's not easy. I haven't quite got to the standard that you can get through all that.

"The biggest thing I have to do is to make sure I don't overdo anything. It would be easy to get drawn into over-preparing. I have to step back and accept that I should be ready and not try and do too much."

In some ways, Harrington's position in the Order of Merit makes it easier to focus on the tournament.

Unlike 2002, this time, a more mature Harrington is so far behind Casey - trailing by €218,185 - that he doesn't envisage being sucked into a head-to-head duel. Anyway, two other players, David Howell and Robert Karlsson, are also in with a shout of landing the money title.

So, Harrington's eye is very much on the tournament.

"I'm trying to win the tournament, and that takes care of everything," he said.

As far as Harrington is concerned, though, the one real problem is that Valderrama has never been a course that has fitted his eye. When this tournament was played at Montecastillo, Harrington never finished outside of the top-three. Here, on probably the best-conditioned course on continental Europe, he has struggled. Why?

"I just haven't hit enough fairways on this course. I haven't played steady enough. I've been a bit more erratic, more flamboyant you can say, in my play. This is a fairways-and-greens golf course, and it does make a difference if you miss the odd fairway or the odd green."

Harrington, who is joined in the field by defending champion Paul McGinley, Damien McGrane and Graeme McDowell, got in a full practice round on the course yesterday.

Of that pairing with Casey in the final group, Harrington is adamant that it would be in his interest for the Englishman to also play well, so that the two could pull each other along. In fact, it would be all the better if Howell and Karlsson also performed.

"I would be happy if the four of us are all tied coming in playing the 18th (on Sunday) and it would come down to one shot," said Harrington.

"I'm hoping we all play well and push each other on. The one thing the guys in second, third and fourth place don't want is to have a flat week and to be in the middle of the pack and let it be Mr Casey's Order of Merit."

In his last three appearances in the event here, Harrington has finished 19th-19th-10th; performances like that simply won't wash on this occasion if he is to have any chance of overhauling Casey.

"I've got to get into contention," he accepted. "It is not a question of turning up and trying to beat the other guys, because that's no use to me. I've got to try and win this tournament.

"But I'm (also) hoping the other guys play well because that will motivate me."

Harrington missed the cut in the Mallorca Classic last week, but that, he felt, was no bad thing.

"I practised very hard going into it and kind of got a little bit out of sorts in terms of my sharpness. I think playing last week was a big positive in terms of coming in here. It gave me an idea of how I was playing and what I needed to manage.

"Plus, missing the cut kicks you in the backside and makes sure that you're disciplined the following week."

Time will tell if the self-inflicted kick in the backside has the desired effect.