CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Padraig Harrington woke after only
two hours sleep on Monday so he could see the British Open claret
jug by his bed.
"I went to bed at about 4 am and woke up at six wide awake,"
he said. "I woke my wife and said: 'I'm the Open champion. I can't
believe I've done it.' She said: 'I can believe it, there's the
trophy, now can you go back to sleep?"
The Irishman, who has finished at least tied for fifth five
times in three different majors and who was tied for seventh at
this year's Masters, finally got his hands on the sought-after
trophy by beating Sergio Garcia in a four-hole playoff at
Carnoustie on Sunday.
Harrington thought his chance was gone after a double-bogey six
on the 18th. But Garcia's par putt lipped out, and the Irishman
holed a three-footer at the fourth extra hole to claim the title.
"I was just standing there, just thinking I was the Open
champion," said Harrington, who ended Europe's eight-year drought
in majors since Paul Lawrie won at Carnoustie in 1999.
Now, he is confident that the Europeans, who consistently beat
the Americans in the Ryder Cup team competition, will start
collecting more of golf's biggest prizes on a regular basis.
"I definitely think we have banished the hang-up for the
moment," Harrington said. "European golf is very strong. This may
be the start and, if it is, I will be telling people I started
it."
Harrington wants to follow the example of Phil Mickelson, who
won the Masters in 2004 after 46 majors without a victory before
adding the PGA Championship in 2005 and the Masters again in 2006.
"I have always had it in my head that if I won one major I
would want to win more," Harrington said. "I got that from
observing the other guys who've won majors, like Mickelson, and you
have to have goals to keep you moving forward. If your goal was to
win one major then that would be it. I am definitely focused on
winning more than one."
Garcia, who was four strokes ahead of the field at one stage in
Sunday's final round, is still waiting to win his first major after
36 attempts.
"He is probably the best ball striker in the game and he is
still young," Harrington said. "I really felt for him. I know he
is under incredible pressure to win a major, and he will. It will
happen.
"The more he believes that the quicker it will happen. But the
longer it takes the harder it gets. He could have left the field
behind here and run away with it."
Harrington said when he was walking to the 18th green having
twice played shots into the water known as the Barry Burn, he
thought back to Jean Van de Velde's triple bogey at the same stage
in 1999. The Frenchman was three shots in front at the last hole,
but ultimately lost to Lawrie in a playoff.
"One big part of me making six was that it wasn't seven,"
Harrington said. "I was counting it up in my head. It crossed my
mind that Jean took seven to lose the Open and I was sliding down
that slippery slope too."