Changing room chat: White House date for Harrington

Published on Wednesday 10 March 2010 21:31

PADRAIG Harrington is taking time out from his Masters build-up to meet President Obama at the White House next Wednesday – St Patrick's Day.

"He's hosting a party for our Taoiseach Brian Cowen and his wife and I'm a guest," said Ireland's three-time major champion, who the following day will be competing at the Transitions Championship in Florida. "I'm looking forward to it – it's something different. Obviously President Obama is one of the most charismatic people in the world, one of the most powerful people in the world.

"You want to meet these people and see what they are like and get your own judgment on things. You can tell a lot when you meet somebody.

"Plus I've never been to the White House.

"I won't say it's perfectly convenient, but I'm in the States and I can fly up and down in the same day. Very nice.

"Obviously he is very keen on golf. He's a left-hander, isn't he? I don't know, maybe we will talk about golf.

"Who knows?

"I've got a week to come up with something interesting to ask.

"I'm sure everything's been asked before."

Big surprise as Jones joins Shock

PERHAPS not a stunning development but many will be surprised to hear that former sprinter Marion Jones has joined the Shock. As in the Tulsa Shock of America's WNBA.

The disgraced Olympian was stripped of her three gold medals and spent six months in jail two years ago for lying about doping and her role in a check fraud.

Jones, 34, who played in North Carolina's championship team in 1994, wants a new career, and Shock coach Nolan Richardson noted: "One thing I do know is she can run, and any player on my team who wants to be successful needs to be able to run."

Stripping Barca to its essentials

BARCELONA are set for a hot summer when elections for the club's president take place. So hot, in fact, that supporters may well be taking their shirts off.

Presidential front-runner Sandro Rosell has admitted he would consider selling shirt sponsorship for the first time in the club's 111-year history. The blaugrana strip currently bears the Unicef logo, and Barca pay some 1.5m to the charity for the privilege, but Rosell is thinking of combining that with a money-making sponsorship deal.

Catalan purists will surely be tearing a strip off such a reckless candidate.