Simon Lewis

PADRAIG HARRINGTON, the newly-crowned US PGA champion, wants to add FedEx Cup success to his double major-winning season.

The 36-year-old Irishman, refreshed from a week's holiday following his two-stroke PGA victory over Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis, returns to action at Ridgewood Country Club tomorrow in The Barclays, the first of four events in the PGA Tour's lucrative season-ending play-offs.

Only the top 144 players in the FedEx Cup standings with points accumulated from the regular season are eligible - and with world No.1 one Tiger Woods among those unable to enter due to injury and other obligations, The Barclays is left with a 136-man field. That number will be reduced after each event according to the latest standings, leaving a final field of 30 for the last event, The Tour Championship, in the last week of September.

Harrington said the format had motivated him enough to up sticks from his well-earned rest following back-to-back major wins in the last five weeks at the Open and PGA.

"It was an interesting week," Harrington said of his holiday. "I sat by the pool for most of it and come Sunday I was thinking I would like to sit there for another week. But the FedEx Cup is what is attracting me out here again this week and the idea of it is to get players out to compete at this time of year.

"After two majors you think well, I could do with a rest' but there are other things to play for, so that's why I'm here this week."

On his way to victory at Oakland Hills, Harrington had admitted he had been mentally fatigued and was suffering a hangover from his successful Open Championship defence at Royal Birkdale three weeks prior to that.

However, he does not think that will be a problem now. He said: "I did make sure I rested last week and I've got a little bit of experience now from winning these majors, so I knew what to do afterwards.

"I believe I will be ready, but I'm never truly able to tell until I'm into the tournament and I can see how I play."

Harrington goes into the play-offs in fourth place on the standings, which were reset after last week's Wyndham Championship.

He said: "Anybody in the top 10, if they get a win in this tournament and then follow it up with some good performances, can win the FedEx Cup. Anybody outside, it might take two wins, so there's a lot to play for and I'm ready to go."