'This is not only a great win for him but for Irish golf'

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON'S back-to-back British Open wins will have far reaching implications for the future of golf in Ireland and beyond.

The magnitude of his achievement was recognised by some of his peers, not least Graeme McDowell, who himself was in contention at one stage.

"To win back-to-back Opens is simply unbelievable for Pádraig. I don't think it has sunk in yet; it's quite surreal and hard to get your head around the magnitude of his achievement," said McDowell, who was in the thick of things himself until an 80 on Saturday unravelled his chances.

The 28-year-old still managed to finish a creditable tied 19th after a final round of 72.

"Pádraig's win is a real endorsement to his work ethic, nobody works harder at the game than he does and he's a very deserving champion. This is not only a great win for him but great for Irish golf and European golf, and he's also going to be a great asset once more at the Ryder Cup.

"To win one major is quite something but to go on and secure a second is right out of the top drawer. Pádraig joins a very select group of players and will go down in the history books," added McDowell.

"Although I'm still a little disappointed with how my week ended you can't take anything away from Pádraig. He's an inspiration to us all."

Christy O'Connor jnr has enjoyed competing in many Open championships, but yesterday he found himself glued to the television at home as Harrington went about his business "like a true champion".

"Pádraig played absolutely unbelievable golf when it mattered. To play the back nine in four under was the stuff of a true champion," said O'Connor.

"I always believed he'd have the match of Greg (Norman) on the final day but what he did on the back nine was just magical. He simply upped his game another notch from the 10th onwards.

"The way he took on that approach to the 17th was truly magnificent because he had to aim at the thick rough and trust that it would come back in the wind.

"Pádraig's preparation was also second to none. He knew what he was doing missing the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond to compete in the Irish PGA at The European Club. That was great preparation on a great links course," he added. "He's a wonderful and deserving champion who carries himself so well."

Harrington's decision to play in the Irish PGA as preparation for the Open was also welcomed by PGA Irish Region Secretary Michael McCumiskey. "Pádraig prompted us before last year's championship to say if we could schedule the event before the Open then he would play. Really it couldn't have worked any better for us as we have the best champion to give us the best exposure," said McCumiskey.

"He really is a golfer extraordinaire. This second Open win is great for Irish golf. Even people in Ireland who don't play golf can relate to Pádraig Harrington. He is something special."

Eamonn Darcy was one of Harrington's nearest challengers at The European last week but said his win at Birkdale puts him up there with the truly great players of the game. "He really was a class above the rest. The way he covered the back nine when others around him faltered was exceptional," said Darcy, who finished fourth behind Harrington in equally difficult conditions at the Irish PGA.

"Last week he was like a thoroughbred preparing for the Derby. Pat (Ruddy) had set the course up as close as he could to the conditions at Royal Birkdale. And looking back the bad weather was a blessing in disguise, because at Birkdale he knew how to deal with it and just got on with it.

"This win puts him up there with the best. He really is a big-time player now."