Padraig Harrington looking forward to 'fifth Major' Irish Open

Irish professional golfer Padraig Harrington has claimed that he is really looking forward to perform at the Irish Open at Royal County Down, which gets underway in May, and he has branded the tournament as his 'fifth Major'.

Following a nearly seven year win drought, the Irishman finally got back to winning ways at the Honda Open last week. Before the watershed victory, Harrington's last win came at the 2008 PGA Championships.

The veteran battled past America's Daniel Berger on the second hole of a playoff last week on Sunday and the win has understandably boosted his confidence as he prepares for what he calls his 'fifth major', Sport24 reported.

Harrington said that the Irish Open is his fifth Major and always one of the first events on his schedule, for obvious reasons. He added that while it is always a special week for him, this year would be interesting as it would be the first time he has played at Royal County Down as a professional, so he insisted that he is really looking forward to getting there and seeing how the course has been set up.

Harrington claimed that the last time the Irish Open was played in Northern Ireland, at Royal Portrush in 2012, it was a huge success and he was glad to be in the mix on the final day. He added that the crowds were similar to a Major and generated a great atmosphere, and he is sure it would be well attended again at Royal County Down.

The Irish Open is hosted by the Rory Foundation, a philanthropic effort set up by world number one Rory McIlroy that supports a variety of children's charities around the world, the report added.