Three-time Major Champion Padraig Harrington has confirmed his desire to recapture the championship he describes as his ‘Fifth Major’ when he returns to Killarney Golf and Fishing Club in Co. Kerry for the Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland from July 28-31.
Harrington, who won his first Irish Open four years ago just a few weeks before claiming the first of his Major haul in The Open at Carnoustie, will be one of the star attractions along with new US Open Champion Rory McIlroy and 2010 winner Graeme McDowell.
And the 39 year old is relishing the opportunity to renew acquaintances with Killarney, where he just failed to peg back England’s Ross Fisher despite a heroic final round of 64 last year.
Harrington insisted: “I’ve always said that the Irish Open is the fifth biggest tournament for me. Obviously you have the four Majors, then for me winning my national Open is a must in your career.
“Luckily, the Irish Open is one of the best events in Europe – and one of the biggest – and is a prestigious tournament in its own right, especially moving back to Killarney. I grew up in the eighties when it certainly was one of the premier events on Tour and it is certainly building in stature.”
Harrington ended 25 years of Irish heartache when he took the title at Adare Manor in 2007, following the path which John O’Leary had trodden a quarter of a century earlier.
He added: “I don’t know if you can connect Adare Manor with Carnoustie, but I certainly got confidence from winning my national Open that year. It was a big relief. It’s one of the titles anyone would want in their career and certainly for me it was a big stepping stone.
“I had played in ten or 11 Irish Opens and tried many different ways of trying to handle the pressure, because the pressure of playing in an Irish Open is bigger than playing in a Major. The focus is on you in the weeks leading up to the tournament and it’s a case of being able to handle the pressure and finishing a way to deal with it. There’s no doubt it certainly helped me win Majors.”
