Padraig Harrington still has unfinished business

He has twice lifted the Claret Jug, made a reservation for a place in golf’s Hall of Fame and etched his success into the collective memory of Irish sports fans.

Yet as Pádraig Harrington readies himself for a 19th Open Championship, the three-time major winner is still searching for the key that can stall the inevitable tapering of a glittering career.

At the age of 43, Harrington has accepted he is not the golfer he was when winning those back-to-back Opens and a PGA Championship during a giddy 14 months in 2007 and 2008.