An incredible day for Irish golf.

So Padraig Harrington finally won a major and wee Rory McIlRoy set the world’s golfing press on fire winning the silver medal.

  (Getty images)

It really was one of the most exciting major finishes for years and I have to admit to feeling a little emotional at the end when Padraig was interviewed.  He choked up when asked whether he ever doubted his ability to win a major, clearly reliving a few “head in the hands” moments of doubt from the past.

I think what interested me most was the difference in style between Garcia and Harrington.  Garcia exploded onto the scene in 1999 having won his club championship at the age of 12.  He very nearly won the 1999 USPGA after an epic duel with Tiger and we all expected great “Seve-style” major victories in the near future.  Undoubtedly his talent is enormous but for some reason those major wins haven’t quite arrived yet.  As he matures and finally grasps how to putt properly I have no doubt they will though.

But Harrington is different.  Softly spoken and at one time more famous for coming second than victories his talent has taken time to nurture – and an unbelievable amount of hard work.  He is one of the hardest grafters on tour and it is truly wonderful to see this work finally pay off.  But what was really interesting to notice was the prescence of Bob Rotella (the famous US mind guru who partly inspired my golf challenge) as he waited to start the four playoff holes.

Harrington’s winning interview dripped with comments about belief and the positive attitude he had adopted while playing.  Undoubtedly this help from Rotella, coupled with the solid graft, has elevated him to a level way about the “journeyman pro” status that he maintains he would have been happy with when he started out.

It’s a fantastic lesson for all of us.  With some really hard work and the right attitude you can achieve truly great things – even if you haven’t been born with the sort of god-given talents of Garcia, Mickelson, Ballesteros or indeed even Rory McIlroy.  I really hope that Garcia does win his first major soon but today belonged to Harrington and I think there is real justice in that.