Harrington feels more than ready to take a major step

Despite blowing a chance to win the 2006 U.S. Open, Padraig Harrington left Winged Foot with a lot of confidence. He proved to himself that he could contend in a major, and heads to Oakmont feeling comfortable about his chances.

OAKMONT, Pa. (PA) -- Ask anyone who should have won the U.S. Open last year, and most would reply: Colin Montgomerie or Phil Mickelson.

After all, Montgomerie needed only to par the 18th from the middle of the fairway to claim his first major title, while Mickelson was two clear with three to play but matched Montgomerie's double bogey on the last after a wild drive.

Golf fans might also point out that Jim Furyk finished alongside Montgomerie and Mickelson on 6 over par, just one behind winner Geoff Ogilvy, after a bogey on the 18th.

But surprisingly few people remember that Ireland's Padraig Harrington also had a great chance to break through at Winged Foot, only to -- as so many others did -- come to grief on the closing stretch.

The Dubliner carded one of only 12 sub-par rounds of the week with his second-round 69, and was only one off the lead playing the 18th the following day. However, the 35-year-old attempted to play a fairway wood out of the heavy rough and only moved the ball a few yards on his way to a triple-bogey 7.

That looked to have ended his chances, but Harrington played the first 15 holes of the final round in 2 under par to lie 4 over par and, as it transpired, needed to par the last three to win the title.

Instead the European No. 1 bogeyed 16, 17 and 18 to miss out, and he will travel to Oakmont finally believing he is good enough to win a major after seventh place in this year's Masters.

"I got a lot of confidence from the U.S. Open last year," Harrington said. "Not only was I in contention, not only did I have three pars to win but I felt really good. And that's the main thing. I felt good in that position, I felt very comfortable.

"It was the same as the Masters this year so that says to me I could hit all the shots that were required at Augusta, I could hit all the shots that were required at Winged Foot," he added. "Other years I'd come away thinking I'd better go home and practice this, that or the other, I'm not good enough. I realize I can still get a lot better and I obviously still need to get the breaks to win a major but I'm capable of doing it.

"I don't really worry about the last hole in the third round. I played the last 15 holes in the final round in two under and missed some very makeable, short putts," he said. "I hit three good tee shots in the last three holes. All I needed to do is hit the last three greens to win the U.S. Open.

"I was definitely capable of doing a good enough score. I didn't have a great week on the greens and walked away thinking 'I wonder if I'll ever play as well as that again.' I walked away thinking I played well within myself and that's very important for me," he explained. "I'm a strange character. I tend to like to realize I can do things before I actually do them."

Harrington has never played Oakmont, which staged the 1994 U.S. Open won by Ernie Els in a playoff with Montgomerie and Loren Roberts. And the Ryder Cup star admits he will not be expecting an easy ride when he travels north from the Stanford St. Jude Championship in Tennessee.

"The only thing is Oakmont seems like it's going to be a tough course," Harrington joked. "From what I'm hearing, I'm not too sure anyone can travel there with a lot of confidence. But I'm gaining in my own self-confidence. "I'll go up Sunday night, play two and a half practice rounds and see what happens."

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