Harrington hopeful home squad can end a 21-year losing streak

ANOTHER Irish Open, another week of pressure on the Irish lads to break the sorry sequence.

21 years and counting since John O'Leary's triumph in 1982. 21 years since Irish hands last hoisted that prized trophy.

Not the sort of coming-of-age anyone on this island wants to see marked in Portmarnock this week, but with over a dozen Irish in the field perhaps half-a-dozen with a realistic eye on the prize chances are good that we won't. Joint bookie's favourite among those Irish, and, joint favourites overall, are Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington and the latter is especially bullish about Irish chances.

"The focus has been on the [British] Open, we got away from the hype and expectation, we just breeze in and all of a sudden we're in the Irish Open without having to think too much about it. I would predict that the Irish will do better this year than they have in the past."

Low build-up or not, with the usual massive Irish Open galleries expected, the pressure will still be on the home players to produce, particularly Harrington, the highest-ranked European player in the world for some months now. The popular Dubliner wouldn't have it any other way.

"This is my 7th Irish Open so I'm used to it, very comfortable. I had good support last week and appreciated it and good support at the Smurfit European Open. That can help, especially when you are playing well because you feel you're giving something back. Hopefully I will perform. It's one of those things that if you play well and the crowd responds you work together, but if people don't see too much good golf it's hard for them to be up."

That's when golf can be a very lonely game and inside those ropes can be a very lonely place. Lonely, isolated, and yet nowhere is more exposed. In those circumstances, under that pressure, does he ever look at what might have been, look at some of his old friends now enjoying their civilian existence with golf just a weekend diversion, and wonder?

"The odd time. We play some lovely venues across Europe, and there are times I'd be walking down the fairway, there might be a nice house with a nice balcony, people sitting out there enjoying their glass of wine or whatever with their afternoon lunch, and I might think, God wouldn't it be nice to be up on that veranda, feet up, relaxing, not a care in the world. Then you realise they are probably wishing they were inside the ropes. Basically if I want that situation I can go and watch a tennis tournament or another sporting occasion where I'm the one outside the ropes, no pressure, I'm the one saying 'ah you idiot, what did you do that for?'. It's easy to find that sort of diversion, if you want, under no stress, but these are the best days of my life, and the pressure, the stress, is what makes you feel alive."

The best days of your life, where did we hear that one before? Schooldays, anyone? And yet that's the philosophy Harrington tries to bring to his game, a philosophy reinforced by his swing instructor, the venerable Bob Torrance.

"When he finishes up, he shakes your hand and says, 'you know, these are the best days of your life'. He is basically saying that everybody else would love to be where you are, so just because you are hitting the ball badly, there is no point in going out there moaning. These are the best days of your life. You are in your prime and playing professional golf. My caddie sometimes, when things aren't going particularly well, might suddenly turn to me and say something like, 'I wonder what the green fees are here?'. Here we are in Portmarnock getting the run of the place, the course set up perfectly for us. We tend to forget that, but that's what Bob reminds us of. No matter how we're playing, the pleasure is in being out there on the links."

Green fees? What are they? "You're not going to believe this, I have never paid a green fee. Once you become an Irish international, once you get onto the Irish Boys team, there is an unwritten rule that you can play any golf course for free. You don't pay green fees. Other countries don't have that rule, it's nice." With that perk however comes added responsibility, the pressure to give something back. "Maybe that. Golf in Ireland is slightly different, once you get to a certain level the GUI puts you into the coaching system and a lot of things like that, it's kind of broader. You are representing all the golf courses, the property of all, rather than just one."

So, for the next four days (hopefully), Padraig Harrington will stride those fairways, willingly shouldering the pressure. Would he swap places with those of us outside those ropes? No way, Jose. "Very few people who get to a position like me aren't exceptionally motivated by what they are doing. When you're as motivated as I am, you tend not to look over your shoulder at what you could have done. I enjoyed everything I did, enjoyed my football days, but I'm happy I went away playing golf. I'm certainly happy I didn't stay as an accountant, that's for sure, they're having some tough days at the moment. So far It's been a great year so far for Irish golf, for Gary Murphy and Peter Lawrie in particular; both of them have already secured their cards. Now there's hope Damien McGrane can do the same. I grew up playing golf with Gary and Peter, I've known them for years, and it's nice for me to have a few more friends out there on the Tour, guys I can go to dinner with, chat about home."

As for the Irish who can threaten this week? "I think Peter Lawrie is playing well, looked like he was swinging it well on the range."

Padraig Harrington? "I don't know, hopefully I can produce some good scoring this week. We'll wait and see."