Padraig Harrington is going to this week's Open Championship with the Claret Jug firmly in his sights - he believes adding another a fourth major to his haul is well within his ability.
The Dubliner has won the Open twice - claiming back-to-back wins in 2007 and 2008 - along with the PGA Championship in 2008 and while those triumphs came 15 years ago, he has showed signs of rediscovering some of his best form of late.
Harrington came home in 28 strokes to retain his DICK's Sporting Goods Open title on the Champions Tour at the end of June and played some great golf at the Scottish Open over the first two rounds last week, before eventually finishing comfortably inside the top 50.
Despite being a month off his 52nd birthday, Harrington travels to Hoylake full of confidence and ready to cause a shock or two.
"I'm obviously playing nicely and the fact that I've done it before, people will think 'Okay, can you do it again? They know I’ve got the bottle to do it in that sense," he told RTÉ Sport's Greg Allen.
"Physically, I'm playing well, mentally I'm getting my head in the game. When you know you’re playing well then you start thinking 'OK well you got to get your mental game sharp, you got to get your routine sharp’.
"So that's what I've been doing last week and what I’ve got to do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday this week and hopefully Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. And by the time I get there Sunday afternoon, I really am in the zone. That's the focus, just get myself mentally ready.
"There's no issue with the physical side, so yeah, I can go and win this then. No doubt about it.
"You can't go out there trying to play somebody else's game, you play your own game. I know that's It's a big cliche but you've got to believe that.
"If that gets me into a position on Sunday where I'm in contention, I’m certainly going to create that reality for myself that I can beat anybody down the stretch under pressure."
Harrington believes that his experience of winning the Open before can stand him in good stead and while he insists he’s not chasing another "magical week", he’s confident that he’ll be ready to take any opportunities that come his way.
"I’m not trying to play above myself, not trying to have a big week and I'm just trying to have my own week and see where that leads.
"In some sense I'd rather go out there and play, play my game for the week and come off on Sunday and be able to judge how I see it against everybody else.
"I'm not looking for a magical week, I'm not looking for something special. I'm just looking for me to turn up, play my game and to get a better sense of where I sit in the in ranks of golf at the moment."
"I have to do something to change his mind to play at the Ryder Cup"
Given his recent upsurge in form, thoughts have turned towards the Ryder Cup and whether or not Harrington can make a late surge and stake a claim for one of Luke Donald’s six captain's picks.
While he admits that it will take something very special to force his way into Donald’s thoughts at this late stage, Harrington hasn’t given up entirely on adding to his six Ryder Cup appearances.
His schedule has been altered slightly of late, as he takes up more events that could give him a chance to force his way into Donald’s thinking, although Harrington claims that he’s aiming himself at events he believes he can win.
"We have talked about The Ryder Cup, he [Donald] has been on the phone," Harrington said.
"I wasn’t at his barbecue last week for the players in contention so that would suggest right now I don’t stand in his plans, I’m not his makeup. But as I said, we have talked so he he's aware that I could push myself into that position.
"I considered changing my schedule based on the Ryder Cup but if I wasn’t in contention I wasn’t going to change my schedule, I’m now changing my schedule regardless because I’m playing well enough to win.
"As regards to the Ryder Cup, the likelihood is if I’m going to win, I’m probably going to win a bit too late [to qualify automatically].
"I’m not in his pick at the moment, I have to do something to change his mind to play at the Ryder Cup."
