'harrington Got Ball Rolling On Gloriously Golden Irish Era'

When Padraig Harrington vanished 1 changeable distant from nan play-off for The Open title successful 2002, fewer observers would person anticipated Irish play being connected nan period of an bonzer play of unprecedented glory.

It seemed conscionable different adjacent miss. But since 2007, nan land of Ireland has produced 11 men's awesome victories.

It besides ended a 68-year hold to shape an Open, and did it truthful good that conscionable six years later, nan title returns to nan Antrim coast, doing truthful this week.

A sellout crowd of astir 280,000 group will flock to Royal Portrush and nary uncertainty regenerate a uniquely fervent Irish atmosphere, 1 that is already firmly embedded successful Open folklore.

The passion will beryllium stoked because Northern Ireland boasts a Grand Slam-winning Masters champion successful Rory McIlroy. And this is nan venue wherever Irishman Shane Lowry claimed an astonishing Open triumph successful 2019.

Such a sustained gloriously aureate play was hardly imaginable erstwhile Harrington was bogeying Muirfield's past spread to miss retired connected a four-man shootout for nan title 23 years ago.

At that shape Portrush autochthonal Fred Daly, nan Open champion of 1947, had provided nan land of Ireland's only awesome success.

"We had bully players successful nan past," Harrington told BBC Sport.

"But nan journalists would opportunity erstwhile they sewage successful contention successful fields - and specifically it was nan Open because location wasn't nan entree to nan US fields - they didn't judge they could win."

Harrington was a different animal. He first won The Open astatine Carnoustie 18 years ago, successfully defended nan title astatine Royal Birkdale and past went to Oakland Hills and won nan US PGA Championship.

Three awesome wins successful 13 months. "Padraig sewage nan shot rolling," said McIlroy, who made his Open debut successful 2007 and vanished arsenic nan starring amateur. "I deliberation nan different Irish players looked astatine that and that gave them belief."

Harrington, who past period won nan US Senior's Open for nan 2nd time, continues to person a competitory separator that sets him apart. "I did 2 things," he said.

"One, I ever talked astir majors, that I would triumph plural majors. I talked myself up.

"But I deliberation nan 2nd point came a spot pinch my personality. A spot instinctively, I didn't realise I wasn't meant to win.

"Whereas nan guys who went earlier maine thought, no, an Irish feline can't do that, I didn't person immoderate ceiling connected what was possible.

"That's really I sewage done nan amateur game. That's really I sewage done astatine each stages because I wasn't ever nan astir beautiful swinger of nan play nine aliases thing for illustration that.

"So a batch of times I succeeded by purely not knowing immoderate different, keeping my caput down and doing my point and I deliberation that's really helped me."

And Harrington's awesome wins had a ripple effect connected geographically his closest colleagues. Graeme McDowell won nan US Open astatine Pebble Beach successful 2010, and McIlroy kept nan trophy successful Northern Ireland nan pursuing year.

"I would person helped nan pursuing connected Irish guys," Harrington said. "They could say, 'hang connected a second, we were number 1 successful nan amateur crippled successful Ireland. We played pinch Paddy. We cognize what he's like. I tin do that.'"

The ripple became a activity arsenic Dungannon's Darren Clarke won nan 2011 Open astatine Royal St George's and McIlroy claimed 3 much majors, including The Open by nan extremity of 2014.

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement - nan woody that brought an extremity to 30 years of conflict successful Northern Ireland, known arsenic nan Troubles - opened up further possibilities.

McIlroy told me: "That momentum that we each had was location astatine that play of clip and successful conjunction pinch nan R&A looking astatine Royal Portrush to perchance big nan Open Championship again.

"And past for it to spell there, I deliberation it's [down to] Irish play and nan players that person travel done and really good that we've done.

"But I besides deliberation it's a awesome practice of really acold Northern Ireland has travel successful nan past 30 aliases 40 years.

"Because successful nan 70s and nan 80s and nan 90s, nary 1 would person dreamed of hosting an Open Championship successful Northern Ireland successful those times."

Harrington agreed. "Once it went there, we knew it would beryllium a success," said nan 53-year-old Dubliner.

"We'd played a batch of amateur play up there. The crowds emotion it and travel out. The municipality gets down it. So we knew we conscionable had to get it location and everybody would spot really awesome it was."

After nan 2012 Irish Open was staged astatine nan Antrim course, attracting immense numbers and subordinate praise, nan R&A intensified its feasibility studies.

"There was a spot of activity down nan scenes talking it up, emphasising nan constituent of really bully it would be," Harrington said.

Within 7 years nan dream became reality pinch nan first all-ticket Open and astir a 4th of a cardinal fans flocking to nan links.

"You're still a small spot tense that you want it to beryllium a success," Harrington added. "We knew nan crowds would move out, evidently you person to get nan logistics and make judge nan crowds person a awesome time.

"I don't deliberation we could person anticipated really much, but possibly we should have. The players really loved it. Everybody who travelled successful loved it."

Never mind that McIlroy missed nan cut, County Offaly's Shane Lowry surged to a tumultuous six-shot victory. Tricolours flew triumphantly successful loyalist marching play territory, amid unbridled sporting joy.

"We surely person 1 of nan champion Open venues now successful Royal Portrush," Harrington reflected. He knows really overmuch The Open means, sloppy of which seaside venue holds nan championship.

"You could recreation 50 miles distant from nan course, and propulsion into a petrol position and nan personification down nan antagonistic is apt to commencement talking to you astir nan Open Championship, really apt to inquire you if you person immoderate tickets.

"You tin often spell to a tourney successful nan US, and half a mile down nan roadworthy astatine a petrol position they don't moreover cognize nan arena is on.

"Portrush is exceptional astatine taking ownership of nan event, believing that it's their Open and nan organization comes together for their Open and they make it very special."

Harrington says Lowry's triumph successful 2019 was "the icing connected nan cake" for nan competition's return to this spectacular portion of nan world. And coming backmost again wrong six years is "no surprise".

In a delicious twist, nan return coincides pinch McIlroy ending his 11-year awesome drought by winning nan Masters to complete nan profession Grand Slam. The Northern Irishman is present wearing nan coveted Green Jacket.

No further hype needed. "Yeah, mediocre Rory, everyone seems to build up nan unit connected him being nan favourite," Harrington said.

"But if you want to beryllium astatine that level nan pressure's ever going to beryllium connected you.

"Clearly, he knows Portrush very well, he'll person nan support and there's nary uncertainty we'd emotion to spot an Irish winner."

But Harrington says McIlroy should support immoderate position for what could different beryllium an overwhelming week.

"Him going pinch nan Masters' jacket, I deliberation it's capable for him to conscionable swan astir and activity to nan crowds," said nan three-time awesome winner.

"He doesn't person to win. The group ever want him to triumph nan adjacent awesome aliases whatever, but it doesn't person to beryllium this one.

"I cognize it would beryllium bully to beryllium Portrush, but he'll triumph plentifulness much majors."

Regardless of whether Portrush tin service up different home fairytale, this will stay a aureate play for play connected nan land of Ireland. How does Harrington deliberation nan sport's historians will bespeak connected it successful years to come?

"Clearly it's been unprecedented," he said. "There's been a batch of 'how did we do it?' You know, I don't cognize if you tin replicate things for illustration that.

"Everybody's been trying to find nan formula, did we person thing typical successful Ireland? I'm not sure.

"We gained immoderate momentum. We did our thing. I deliberation it's bully for america going guardant that we will person players who will judge successful themselves."

They will do truthful while speculation grows that caller crushed will beryllium surgery by nan R&A taking a early Open to Portmarnock successful nan the Republic of Ireland.

It is different parameter of really acold and really quickly play successful this portion of nan world has moved. "Definitely, that's a large step," Harrington said.

"It's tried for a agelong clip to suffer nan tag arsenic nan British Open; it's The Open," Harrington said.

"And it represents everybody, not conscionable nan group successful Britain, but it represents everybody astir nan world who plays golf.

"It's everybody's Open." But this week pinch a discernible Irish hue.