Harrington: Records will always be broken

Padraig Harrington predicts Tiger Woods will break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors – and that somebody else will then win even more.

This coming week’s Open Championship at Turnberry sees Harrington, winner for the last two years, out to stop Woods, winner the previous two, claiming his 15th major.

But the Dubliner thinks it is only a question of time before the world number one relegates Nicklaus to second in the all-time list.

“I do believe he will – all records are going to be changed,” said Harrington. “If Tiger Woods set that record 30 years ago and Jack Nicklaus was in his prime now Jack would beat the record.

“All you’re basically looking at is each generation produces somebody who is most likely to beat whatever record is there. Jack did it in his time, Tiger is going to do it in his time.

“You can’t compare the two of them because they never played against each other and we’ll never know who is the best. All I know is that if Tiger beats Jack Nicklaus’ record, somebody will beat it in time.”

Woods naturally starts a strong favourite at Turnberry, but the fact for all his challengers to remember is that he has won “only” 14 of 48 majors he has played as a professional.

“He’s been incredibly successful, but you’ve got to understand that every year there are four majors, so he averages less than two,” states Harrington.

“Even if you looked at it on a purely statistical front he obviously has not had a divine right to win every major for the last 12 years because plenty of other guys have won them.

“But he is probably the only player in the game who can turn up at a major knowing that if he plays his golf he can win.

“Most other players have to concentrate on playing their golf and then get in the mix and see if they can win. Tiger’s confident enough that if he plays his best golf he will win.”

Reconstructive knee surgery kept Woods away from Birkdale last summer and he was also not playing the US PGA that Harrington also captured.

But he was there at Carnoustie chasing his own hat-trick of Claret Jugs and finished “only” 12th. The last player to win three Opens in a row – indeed any major – remains Australian Peter Thomson from 1954 to 1956.

Despite missing his last five halfway cuts on the European and US circuits (this week’s Irish PGA is not a Tour event) Harrington always looks forward to majors because he considers them easier to win than regular tournaments - especially in tough conditions.

“I do like at least some of the conditions during the week at a major tournament to be quite difficult or nearly close to extreme because it does limit the amount of people who can cope with that.

“That’s one of my strengths. It brings more people into the contest if you get four nice, sunny days, but if you throw in at least one windy day and maybe one miserable day it certainly brings it down maybe to only 50% of the field that would compete in that.

“I was always brought up with the theory that on a bad day 50% of the players want to be there, but maybe only half of them are capable of competing in those weather conditions, so you’re only competing against a quarter of the field.

“Now obviously as professionals, it doesn’t work quite that way, but it does take some players out of it. The tougher the conditions, the more I’m looking forward to the event.

“It’s definitely easier to win a major. I can only describe a regular tournament as a bit of a sprint. If you’re not three or four under par after nine holes you’re feeling like you’re on the back foot, whereas at a major you want to pace yourself during the week. It’s more like a marathon.

“It can come down to just playing really good golf for nine holes. As long as you’ve done nicely for the first 63 holes, as long as you’ve held your head, held your patience for those 63 holes, you are in position.

“If you shot 70 on a lot of the major golf courses and somebody shot 64 (on the opening day) it wouldn’t bother you at all. You’re thinking ’Well, he’s going to come back’.”

He might be a bit more concerned, though, if it is Tiger Woods who starts with a 64 on Thursday.