Pádraig opens up on Portrush

It took 17 years for Pádraig Harrington to return to his favourite golf course in the world and just 18 holes around Royal Portrush to convince him it was a worthy venue for not just an Irish Open but an Open Championship as well.

Two of Harrington’s three major victories have come on the traditional links of an Open Championship and the Dubliner, back on the course where he twice finished a runner-up as an amateur, believes the “inspired” decision to bring an Irish Open to the North for the first time since Belvoir Park hosted the 1953 edition will lead to the R&A bringing their prestigious major back to Portrush for the first time since 1951.

“I would love to play The Open here. It would be just unbelievable, especially on a course I love,” said Harrington, who won the Claret Jug in 2007 and 2008 and finished second at the North of Ireland Championship in 1993 and 1995.

“It’s 17 years since I was here, but it’s as good as I remembered — and the 12th is one of my favourite golf holes.

“The course is comfortably capable challenge-wise, but I’ve not gone into event management at this stage. They (the R&A) would love to bring it here, but there are bigger issues.”

One of the reasons the R&A has shied away from returning to Royal Portrush since Max Faulkner won here in 1951 had been the Troubles and the traditional date for The Open in the second week of July is one of the remaining flashpoints of tension as it falls in the Orange Order’s marching season.

Harrington, an R&A ambassador, believes the people on the island of Ireland have moved on.

“It’s an awkward date but maybe five or six years’ time. This is more of a reality than we think. We’re bigger than that now.

“The golf course is good enough. Politically, if it hasn’t gone away, it’s going away and so shouldn’t really be an issue. So it really is infrastructure and who knows? Let’s hope this week goes swimmingly well.”

R&A officials will be in Portrush this week to see how the course and town holds up to the crowds that have broken all records for a regular European Tour event in terms of ticket sales. Rounds two, three and four are sold out, with 27,000 spectators expected on all four days from tomorrow, although Harrington said this week’s Irish Open was not a one-off test to be passed or failed.

“Even if it doesn’t go well, they’re allowed to have a few hiccups at their first attempt. Any golf course that hosts an event for the first time, when they go back, they situate something a little different and it works better.

“So I don’t think they should feel like they’re under pressure to have it perfect this week. They’ve already far exceeded anything they needed to do with it, just with the crowds turning up.

“They don’t have to prove themselves this week. They know how they’re doing these things. Infrastructure, especially when it’s an Open Championship, you’ve got a heavy involvement from government, what they’re going to do with the roads. There’s much more of a bigger involvement on a bigger scale. I’m sure they’ve got all the help they wanted this week but I’m sure if they said The Open was coming here, literally, they’d move mountains to make sure it was a success.”

For now, Harrington, back in form after a tie for fourth at the US Open two weeks ago, is relishing the chance to play an Irish Open here.

“It seems like it was an inspired decision,” he said, following a practice round with USPGA champion Keegan Bradley and St Margarets club pro, John G Kelly.

“I’m thrilled it’s here and I don’t think you could surpass the atmosphere that there’s going to be.”