Ireland’s Padraig Harrington has fallen all the way back to 32 in the new world rankings.

In 2008 Harrington reached a personal best when he retained the Open Championship at Hoylake, followed by his stunning victory in the US PGA Championship at Oakland Hills.

Things got harder then. By last September he had dropped from 20 to 22 place, his first time outside the top 20 in four years.

Since then Harrington has fallen back another nine spots to 32. But 2011 has barely begun and Harrington has it all to play for. There's no doubt he will regain his ranking as the year progresses.

A succession of tournaments in the US leading up to the Masters in early April should see him regaining form.

"I’ve got work to do on my short game before going to Pebble Beach and I got caught up in some swing changes in Bahrain but overall I feel good about my game," Harrington told the press this week.

Now his supporters would like to see his optimism reflected in his game.