World number one Tiger Woods was among the first to congratulate Padraig Harrington on his Open defence on Sunday night, less than a year after predicting that the Dubliner would win more Majors following his breakthrough victory at Carnoustie.

Ladbrokes take a hit

Bookmakers Ladbrokes paid a major price for their role in Padraig Harrington’s successful Open Championship defence.

 

Padraig Harrington had already been declared a “model” Open champion by the R&A weeks before he lifted the Claret Jug for the second time last night.

But his march to a second successive Open title was a dramatic one that started with an injury scare over his right wrist and ended with him raising his arms to the sky in triumph as one of Ireland’s greatest sporting heroes.

Greg Norman played an unwitting part in Padraig Harrington’s fifth place finish in the Open at Muirfield in July 2002. Just a week before the Open, the pair played an exhibition match at Doonbeg in Co Clare to mark the official opening of the Australian’s Irish links design.

Graeme McDowell was looking to the future with optimism despite making up the numbers in the final round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Just three strokes off the pace on Friday night, he headed for Portrush reflecting on what might have been and vowing to put right the glitches in his game that saw him crash out of contention in Saturday’s storms with a nightmare 80.

Des Smyth suffered a crushing 18th hole defeat as Spaniard Juan Quiros snatched the weather-lashed Irish Seniors Open by a shot thanks to a spectacular birdie four at the death.