By Cathal Dervan

Padraig Harrington claimed one of the biggest wins of his career with a playoff victory over Tiger Woods in Japan on Sunday to bring the curtain down on a fantastic 2006 for the Dubliner.

Europe’s new number one followed on from his Ryder Cup success against Woods and America to pip the world number one on the second playoff hole at the Dunlop Phoenix tournament with an astonishing birdie.

Harrington had to hit his second shot through the eye of a y-shaped tree after hooking his drive left, then pitched to two feet for a birdie opportunity which he took once Woods had missed from close range to force another playoff hole.

Modest as ever, the Dubliner put the second shot down to luck afterwards as Woods was beaten in a playoff for only the second time ever.

Harrington said, “When you come up against Tiger you’ve got to take whatever opportunities are presented. I saw it as a great chance of hitting a spectacular shot to win the playoff and it came off. I definitely got lucky but sometimes fortune favors the brave.

“I know it is only the second playoff Tiger has lost in 18 but the great thing about stats is that they’ve got to fall sometimes. Sooner or later a stat like that is going to break so just be there to be the one to break it.”

Woods was left to rue his costly missed putts on 16 and 18 and said, “I had my opportunities today. I had a two-shot lead with three to go and missed a short one there at 16.

“If I made that putt it forced Paddy (Harring-ton) to have to birdie one of the last two holes to get into a playoff. It was a poor putt. It probably cost me the tournament.”

The win has resulted in other good tidings for Harrington. He has jumped to eighth in the world rankings after the win. He is now the highest-placed European in the rankings.

In other golf news, Darren Clarke has withdrawn from the forthcoming Australian PGA Championship to spend time with his family back home in England as they continue to grieve his late wife Heather.

And Irish pair David Higgins and Philip Walton both failed in attempts to win their playing cards for next season at the European Tour’s qualifying school in Spain last weekend.

O’Mahony Returns

John O’Mahony’s return as manager of the Mayo football team was confirmed by the county board on Mon-day night, 16 years after he last held the post.

In the meantime O’Mahony has won All-Ireland titles with Galway but is keen to bring the good times back to his native county.

“Expectations are high after reaching two All-Ireland finals in the last three seasons, but there’s still an awful lot to do. History shows that while Mayo came close to the summit a few times, we still haven’t got there,” said O’Mahony.

“Obviously, winning the All-Ireland title is the big ambition but we need to have a long-term view as well. Mayo has to pull together at all levels, something that hasn’t always happened.

“I can’t be responsible for any interpretation or perception that people will put on this appointment. All I will say about that is that people had a particular perception of my management skills in 1991 when I left the county.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The only reason I would take this job is for the advancement of Mayo football. It’s a big challenge and a big opportunity, but it’s great to be back as Mayo manager. Younger people probably don’t even know that I left rather reluctantly in 1991. I’m making no promises except to do everything I possibly can to get the very best out of Mayo footballers.”

O’Mahony will be joined by a backroom team of Kieran Gal-lagher, Tommy Lyons, and Martin Carney.

Pitch Prats

GAA President Nickey Brennan has hit out again at the recent spate of pitch invasions at Croke Park and warned that they won’t be tolerated next summer.

“I was very unhappy with the amount of people on the field and the overall presentation of our games this year,” said Brennan. “I am issuing a warning now, not next year, that people will have to be on their best behavior.

“We are giving county boards and team managers a week to make an input to these new regulations. There will be no going back.”

Brennan has also ordered an investigation into the state of the controversial Croke Park pitch. He revealed, “Whether we like it or not, an issue we are going to be grappling with over the next few months will be the pitch and the difficulties that we have had with it.

“I have accepted that there are issues there. There are various experts advising us on it and at this stage I’m not sure what the outcome is going to be. Clearly we recognize that there are some issues there with the pitch that needs to be resolved. If there is any area that has to be more important than everywhere else, that’s the pitch.

“The pitch has to be the number one priority in Croke Park because there’s no point in having the finest stadium in the world if the pitch isn’t right.”

Abolish Rules

Successful Tyrone boss Mickey Harte has again urged the GAA to abandon the Com-promise Rules series against the Australians and replace it with a new world series for winners of the senior, intermediate and junior All-Ireland club championships.

“We need to begin to generate an international dimension to Gaelic games,” Harte told a debate in Dublin City University.

“Let’s not forget inter-county football started with the clubs. Clubs represented their counties in the first instance. Clubs can also represent our country at junior, intermediate and senior.

“We have teams in virtually every part of the world and there are certainly teams who could meet that standard. We could begin by having a World Series at club level. It might take time, but so what? Certainly Gaelic football is being played elsewhere.”

Leinster Dates

The dates and venues for the 2007 Leinster football and hurling championship have been confirmed as follows:

Senior football championship:

May 13: Westmeath vs. Longford, Pearse Park; May 20: Louth vs. Wicklow, Meath vs. Kildare, both Croke Park; June 2: Laois vs. Westmeath/Longford, Tullamore; June 3: Dublin vs. Meath/

Kildare, Wexford vs. Louth/Wicklow, both Croke Park; June 10: Carlow vs. Offaly, Portlaoise; June 24: Wexford/Louth/Wicklow vs. Laois/Westmeath/

Longford, Dublin/Meath/Kildare vs. Carlow/Offaly, both Croke Park; July 15: Final, Croke Park.

Senior hurling championship

May 27: Laois vs. Offaly, Tullamore; June 9: Dublin vs. Wexford, Kilkenny; June 10: Kilkenny vs. Laois/Offaly, Portlaoise; July 1: final, Croke Park.

Kernan’s Plans

Joe Kernan has confirmed that he will quit as Armagh boss next year, with assistant John Rafferty likely to take over the reins when he steps down. “The only thing we know is that when we go, Armagh will be left in good hands,” said Kernan.

“There will be no need to go around looking for a new manager. We need to keep the ship steady and keep the players believing. Hopefully in 12 months, and I’d like to think it would be late in September that I step down.”

GAA Shorts

The great Michael Donnellan has brought the curtain down on his glittering career with Galway and announced his retirement at the age of 30 after a career that included All-Ireland wins in 1998 and 2001 and All-Star awards in 1998, 2000 and 2001 . . .

The Ulster Council are to investigate ugly scenes when players and spectators fought at the end of Sunday’s drawn provincial Club IFC semifinal between Bally-macnab of Armagh and Tyrone champions Ste-wartstown at Casement Park . . .

ARMAGH full forward Ronan Clarke has been named as the Ulster GAA Writers’ Footballer of the Year. The hurling award went to Antrim’s Johnny McIntosh . . .

DUBLIN forward Mark Vaughan expects to have recovered from a shoulder injury in time for the start of the National Football League campaign next spring . . .

ANTRIM have announced that Terence McNaughton and Dominic McKinley will take charge of their senior hurling team next season . . .

KERRY insiders expect Pat O’Shea to be named as the new Kingdom football manager in succession to Jack O’Connor later this week . . .

KILKENNY GAA fans are mourning the sudden death of county board treasurer Dick Dunphy at the weekend . . .

FORMER Down boss Pete McGrath has returned to management as boss of the county’s under 21 football side . . .

THE Irish government has confirmed a ¤5 million grant to the GAA to aid player welfare.