LAST year Padraig Harrington played in his first PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Mid Ocean Club courtesy of his Open win that summer.

But when golf fans watch the Irishman tee off later this month at Mid Ocean they will see a different golfer ¿ one who has added two more Grand Slam titles after winning both the Open and the USPGA this past summer making him arguably the best player competing in the world right now considering Tiger Woods has been forced out of the game for a lengthy period on account of a knee injury.

"People will be seeing a different player this year," said David Ezekiel, the general chairman of the Grand Slam of Golf and Mid Ocean club captain. "His stature has gone up tremendously this year ¿ everyone will be looking at him with a different eye now in terms of expectations. We are all really looking forward to watching him."

However Harrington is feeling his blows right now after an incredibly successful . . . but exhausting year.

Earlier this week before he began play in the Dunhill Links Championship at the home of golf at St. Andrews in Scotland, Harrington admitted how much the toll this year has had on him ¿ especially since he just finished playing in the Ryder Cup in Kentucky.

"I was low in antioxidants, my white blood cells were too active, basically showing that I'm fatigued," he said before the Dunhill started. "I'm looking forward to eight weeks off during the winter ¿ I'm looking forward to getting some practice in and getting some gym work in."

Ezekiel said: "Yes he does sound like he is exhausted. But (the PGA Grand Slam of Golf) Bermuda will be a lot less pressure on him. I think he will really enjoy it. And having him back as a three-time major winner is very important. This might be a time for him to relax a bit."

Former two-time US Open winner Retief Goosen will be wanting to win the 36-hole tournament in Bermuda, said Ezekiel. "He has not been in the limelight recently and I think it (Grand Slam) will obviously be something he will be looking forward to winning."

And that goes for Masters champion Trevor Immelman as well, said Ezekiel.

Both Goosen and Immelman are from South Africa and with Jim Furyk from the United States making up the foursome, the tournament, which will be played on October 14 and 15 at Mid Ocean, has a real international feel to it.

Ezekiel said that Furyk will probably enjoy this year's tournament more than he did last year. He said: "Last year Furyk flew here right from another tournament ¿ it was pretty hectic for him. But this year he is coming in on the Friday and that will give him time to relax. I expect both Immelman and Furyk to take advantage of the practice rounds ¿ and obviously Harrington knows the course pretty well having played it last year. I think many people will be watching out for Goosen while Immelman has had a bit of an expectation downturn after he won the Masters ¿ but he has started striking the ball pretty well now and as you saw from the Ryder Cup Furyk is really on top of his game. Also I think it will be interesting for people to watch the different swings of Furyk and Goosen ¿ two incredible ways of getting to the same spot."

Despite being so fatigued, Harrington said this week there was no question about him not playing the Dunhill as he is desperate to win Europe's order of merit for a second time.

This will be his first event after a disappointing Ryder Cup and the Irishman is aiming to extend his lead at the top of the European money list after fellow Ryder Cup teammate Briton Lee Westwood closed the gap with a runners-up place at last week's British Masters.

"I would never not be here. I'd crawl over to this tournament," Harrington said this week from Scotland.

The Open and USPGA Championship holder is going all out to add the 545,811 euros ($781,400) first prize to his 2,350,556 euro haul and distance him from fellow Ryder Cup man Westwood who lies less than a quarter of million euros behind.

"I would be here (St .Andrews) full stop but I think that's (order of merit) the prime reason why I'm trying a little bit harder this week because I know this is a good chance for me," the 2006 order of merit winner said.

After the Dunhill Harrington said he will be travelling to Bermuda for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf before finishing his year off at the Volvo Masters.

Of the order of merit he said: "I've got two tournaments left, this and the Volvo Masters. I think I've got to play really well in one of them in order to win the order of merit. If I can win one of the two, I think that more or less guarantees me the order of merit."

The triple major winner is anxious to get the job done quickly as this week's competition is played over three of his favoured courses in rotation ¿ St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.

Harrington admitted this week that he is still struggling to come to terms with his astonishing recent success.

He became the first European to successfully defend the Open since 1906 at Birkdale and followed that with victory in the USPGA Championship at Oakland Hills.

With three major titles to his name, the Dubliner is still a long way from catching the injured Tiger Woods (14) or Jack Nicklaus (18), but he has surpassed the achievements of European greats Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Bernhard Langer and Jose Maria Olazabal.

"When I look at the guys who I put up on a pedestal as I was growing up, now I have more majors than them and it startles me a bit and shocks me a bit," said Harrington.

"I wouldn't necessarily feel that comfortable as maybe I should in that sort of situation. I've won more majors than those guys and they were my heroes. That's a hard one. That's probably the toughest one to get to grips with.

"If I was to catch Seve (Ballesteros) at five or Nick (Faldo) at six, it would be something that I'd have to get my head around and that's going to be one of the tasks; to believe it and to go ahead and do it."

Like many first-time major winners, Immelman has taken a while to get used to being the Masters champion and his game did fall off for a while.

He said recently: "It's been a little hectic, just from the aspect of having to take care of other things and having to divide my time a few other ways. But you know, that's just things that you have to learn to deal with. Everyone wants that problem.

"It took a little time for me, first of all, to have that win sink in. And secondly, I had to learn how to handle the stuff that came with it."

Immelman has not won since that stirring victory at Augusta in April. But he came close with a playoff-second at the Stanford St. Jude Classic in June, and he tied for 19th the Open another major played in precarious wind conditions.

He has been close to finding the mojo he discovered at Augusta National, and he is getting closer.

"I'm hitting the ball really well," said Immelman. "It hasn't translated into my scores yet, but I'm starting to feel good about my game again."

Ezekiel said that all the preparations have been going well for the tournament.

"Everything is going great. The PGA guys are in ¿ construction is well on its way ¿ pretty much as last year. And there will be more concession tents and more water stands," he said.

One facility which the fans will be happy about is a "big new facility at the 19th hole".

Ezekiel said: "Bacardi are putting it on and it will be where people can go get a drink and it will have flat screen TVs and all that stuff. The fans can have a drink and chat about the day. That was something that was missing last year for people who couldn't go to the members' tent. It will be a great spot for people to collect and share their memories and talk about golf.

"But most things will be the same since last year worked out so well. Next week the TNT people will come in ¿ they bring about 40 people ¿ and touch wood everything will be on track."

With Harrington winning the Open and the US PGA and Immelman winning the Masters there were two spots to be filled for the tournament since Woods is out with his knee injury.

Using the points system Furyk and Goosen were chosen.

The PGA Grand Slam of Golf is a 36-hole event broadcast by TNT to an audience of 89 million US homes along with an international audience from more than 100 countries in a prime-time telecast.