Catching on ...

IT’S not just the victory in 2007 and the final-day charge last year that makes Pádraig Harrington believe the Irish Open is getting back to its best.

As good as they were on a personal level, the three-time major champion says his national Open is coming close to achieving the heady heights it enjoyed when he was a teenager watching Europe’s best battle it out on Irish soil in the 1980s and early 1990s.

“I’ve always said, it’s essentially the fifth biggest tournament for me. Obviously you have your four majors, and for me, winning your national Open, it’s a must in your career,” Harrington said.