Why the Open Championship’s happiest golfer says he cannot win
PORTRUSH, Northern Eire — Padraig Harrington is a prolific talker.
Spend a couple of minutes in his presence and also you’ll witness the reward of gab. Lovely, delicate prose flows from his mouth not in phrases and sentences however in paragraphs and pages, inspecting his inner-most ideas and emotions with a author’s ease.
However, like many prolific talkers, lots of Harrington’s most revealing moments come when the phrases cease. And on a sunny Wednesday at Royal Portrush, web site of this week’s Open Championship, Harrington’s silence instructed us the entire story.
“I undoubtedly really feel like I can win an Open Championship,” Harrington mentioned. “Do I really feel like I can win this Open Championship?”
He paused for an extended second.
“I’d say it’s like a variety of occasions going into it. I want it was a number of extra weeks,” Harrington mentioned. “However you recognize, I’ve to play with what I’ve tomorrow. I’ve received to create a actuality in my head that I can win.”
These phrases weren’t anybody’s definition of self-belief. They have been, as an alternative, the phrases of a 53-year-old professional whose days are spent on the Champions Tour; he just lately gained the U.S. Senior Open however appears to assume he’s on this week’s proceedings from Northern Eire beneath a largely ceremonial function. Harrington will hit the primary tee shot on Thursday morning, starting the festivities from golf’s remaining main as a torch-bearer for his homeland of Eire. He isn’t keen on the phrase ceremonial golfer, however like most different issues, Harrington is a realist.
“I’ll put that apart to have the consideration,” he mentioned.
Golf is a sport of slim percentages. Of the 156 gamers within the subject this week, just one will emerge with the Claret Jug. And but it’s uncommon to listen to a golfer of Harrington’s means — even at age 53 and with a single main top-10 within the final decade — speak so candidly concerning the state of affairs surrounding a significant championship so close to sooner or later.
And extra uncommon nonetheless? How a lot of Harrington’s question-and-answer session on Wednesday appeared downright joyful regardless of the state of affairs.
“2019 was an outstanding achievement for The Open to return right here, then it was phenomenal achievement for Shane to win it,” Harrington mentioned. “For any of the Irish guys to return out right here and win once more could be astounding. Sure, I would really like it to be me, however I’ll freely admit that I’ll accept any Irish winner this week.”
In some ways, pleasure was the one acceptable emotion. Harrington was talking on the Wednesday earlier than an Open Championship on the island of Eire. That sentence appeared like a miracle to many Irish golfers when it occurred for the primary time in a half-century in 2019. In 2025, throngs of followers waited patiently in line simply to cross by the gates for a observe spherical.
“Look,” he mentioned. “The crowds that end up listed here are phenomenal. They actually do embrace it. Folks have come from everywhere in the island to be right here — to ship the sunshine.”
On Wednesday on the Open a minimum of, the sunshine arrived in droves, drenching the golf course in a golden blanket. A world of chance awaited every of the 156 within the subject as they trolled round Royal Portrush for the ultimate observe spherical day.
For maybe probably the most beloved member of the sector this week, the likelihood was dimmer. Maybe the goodness wouldn’t embrace a Claret Jug. However make no mistake: there was nonetheless loads value speaking about.
“As someone mentioned to me about whiskey, there’s no such factor as a foul whiskey, just a few whiskeys are higher than others,” he mentioned with a smile. “On the subject of hyperlinks golf, that’s the reality of it. There’s simply — there are not any unhealthy ones. There’s just a few which are higher than others.”