by Michael Gannon , Aberdeen Press and Journal

Harrington's back-to-back major victories in the Open championship and the US PGA were tremendous achievements regardless of whether Woods was around or not.

Woods has been out since June, recuperating from reconstructive knee surgery and the length of time he has been out makes his victory at the US Open look all the more remarkable.

Now he is on the comeback trail, although he has recently described his game as not yet being fit for public consumption, which I must admit would be interesting to see.

There are some who think Tiger's incredible desire will be diminished due to his time off.

They say he has had time to enjoy his life for the first time, spending time with his wife and young child, and that it will be hard to get back to the level of intensity he has been renowned for.

I do not buy into that theory for a minute.

Tiger will be aching to get back and there are few out there with greater grit and determination to win.

He is within four majors of Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 and I cannot see him easing off in his pursuit.

When Tiger does return, with the Masters in April his target, he will not find it easy as there are a few players who are making up ground.

Harrington's rise to the top tier of the game has been well documented but I believe 2009 could well be Sergio Garcia's year.

He is an enormous talent and surely it is just a matter of time before he claims that elusive first major.

Once he gets one I am convinced he can win more, it is just a case of opening the floodgates.

He has risen to number two in the world and all he needs is a little bit of luck to go his way in one of the majors.

He will be hoping to continue in 2009 the way he has left off in 2008, and I know the feeling.

I enjoyed a decent second half of the year, with four top- 10 finishes.

Hopefully, I can keep that going into the new year and, if I can maintain that form, a return to the winner's enclosure might not be too far off.

I will join the Race to Dubai in Abu Dhabi in the middle of January, which will be the first of three events in the Middle East.

It is a tough time of year with a lot of travelling involved so fitness is very important.

I have been under the weather of late and unable to do as much in the gym as I would have liked but I will be putting that right in the next few weeks. My goals for the season remain the same, I want to taste victory again and get myself into that end-of-season finale in Dubai.

Qualifying for the US Open would be nice also but one of the big targets is making our own Open championship at Turnberry.

Hopefully, I can have a winning season and I wish everyone a happy New Year and all the very best for 2009.

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