After a frustrating year, three-time major winner Padraig Harrington is looking past 2010 and forward to 2011.
But as frustrating as it's been, with a solitary tournament win at the Asian Tour's Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia, he says it's no disaster.
After Harrington defended his British Open title and won the PGA Championship in 2008, and claimed the PGA Tour and European Tour player of the year awards, the 39-year-old Irishman just hasn't lived up to his own high standards two years on.
''If this is the worst it's going to get, I'll be a very happy man,'' Harrington said Friday. ''I've had one win, the Ryder Cup, plenty of top 10s. It's been an OK year, but it's just frustrating because I have high expectations.''
He started with high expectations at this week's Nedbank Golf Challenge, leading a high-class field at the $5 million invitational event in South Africa following Thursday's first round 6-under 66.
As he has for much of this season, he failed to maintain the momentum. Harrington's short game deserted him Friday in a level-par 72 to fall six shots off the pace set by the No. 1-ranked Lee Westwood.
And now, the expectations have gone, too.
''I've been in good form at times. It's not feeling too good this week, though. I've been fairly optimistic about where my game is going, but I wouldn't feel too optimistic for the next couple of days.''
Harrington's honest assessment began Thursday when, even with the first-round lead, he said he was not on top of his game. If he won this week at Sun City it would not be with beautiful golf, he said.
He's had to work at it in 2010.
After a birdie at the tricky par-four No. 18 on Thursday to secure his one-stroke lead, Harrington headed straight for the practice area, aware there's work to be done.
On Friday there was just one birdie and a string of missed putts - and missed chances.
''I don't believe I'm out of it, but I certainly have to play well over the next two days. I need to find something,'' he said ahead of the weekend and his final event of a testing year.
''But I'm looking forward to doing my winter practice,'' he added. ''I'm very optimistic about where my game is going so I'm very happy to finish off this year and do some practice through the winter and get ready for next year.''
