Harrington in confident mood

Harrington: return to form

The last few weeks have been good. I've been pushing for a win and this would be a big week to get that win. (It would) turn what was less than an average year up until, say, August into a great year.

Padraig Harrington
Quotes of the week

Also see

• US Tour Schedule
• World Rankings
• Golf live on Sky Sports

Padraig Harrington is targeting victory at the Tour Championship to transform a season of relative mediocrity into one worth remembering.

The Irishman has yet to win on either the European or PGA Tour in 2009, a spectacular comedown after finishing the previous year with back-to-back majors.

His form, however, has picked up markedly in the second half of the season and he arrives for the Tour Championship at Atlanta's East Lake Golf Club on a run of five top 10s on the PGA Tour.

"I'm happy to be here and could turn around a year this week," he said.

"The last few weeks have been good. I've been pushing for a win and this would be a big week to get that win. (It would) turn what was less than an average year up until, say, August into a great year."

Victory at East Lake on Sunday would earn Harrington a cheque for $1.35 million and the chance of a $10 million bonus as the overall FedEx Cup champion.

Elite field

The Tour Championship is contested by an elite field of 30 players and Harrington, sixth in the FedEx Cup points standings, would also clinch that trophy if top-ranked Tiger Woods finished no higher than third.

However Woods, and the other top-five players in the points standings - Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson or Heath Slocum - all hold their own destiny in their hands.

Any of that quintet would automatically land the FedEx Cup by winning the Tour Championship.

"I don't regret being number six because I did what I could," Harrington added.

"I don't feel like I left too many shots behind me or anything like that.

"I'm in as good as position as I can be. I have played good golf. It's not totally in my control but six is as good as I could have done.

"I'll be happy to see if I can get that win this week, see what happens from there."

Soggy conditions

Luke Donald of England is the only other European in the field besides Harrington while this year's major winners Angel Cabrera of Argentina, Americans Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink and YE Yang of South Korea also made the top 30.

Last year's Tour Championship winner Camilo Villegas did not make it and neither did Vijay Singh, who was last year's overall FedEx Cup champion.

Furyk, third in the standings, and Johnson, fourth, have runner-up finishes in this tournament, in 2006 and 2007 respectively, with former Masters champion Johnson having set a course-record 60 in 2007.

That 10-under-par round was carded in soggy conditions during a week hampered by heavy rain and the players will tee off on Thursday after a week of torrential rain caused flooding in and around Atlanta, more than 11 inches of rainfall landing on East Lake.