PADRAIG: RORY NO LONGER OUT ON HIS OWN

THE level of expectation around Rory McIlroy this week was reflected in the bulging gallery scampering about the dunes after the pied piper of Portrush yesterday. Can McIlroy (right), the 8/1 favourite, bridge a five-year gap between majors? Padraig Harrington, a dual Open champion offers a qualified view. ‘I think Rory’s game is exceptional this year, it really is good. It’s just that it’s become tougher to win a major,’ he observed. ‘Rory had a competitive advantage five years ago that’s been eaten up by many a player at this stage. ‘As good as he is, he has to look over his shoulder and worry about how DJ (Dustin Johnson) plays, how Brooks (Koepka) plays. ‘Back in 2011, he wasn’t scared of anybody. He felt he could overcome a couple of bad breaks. ‘There’s too many good players now. Now, he has to play his best golf and, like anybody else in a major, he has to get the right breaks.’ As for being the Portrush poster-boy, Harrington reckons that brings its own issues. ‘I don’t know if home pressure is a good thing, but I do think that this week suits a good driver of the ball and Rory’s a great driver of the ball. ‘Guys who are good drivers will love this track. This course suits him.’ Harrington reckons Irish Open champion Jon Rahm is a huge threat to McIlroy’s ambitions. ‘Jon Rahm is a good, solid driver of the ball. He looks like a man designed to play links golf. He must be a strong contender. ‘If you are a good driver of the ball, you could break the back of this course. Big time. If you can drive it straight out here, a decent distance, you are going to have a lot of opportunities into these greens.’ And what of Harrington? ‘I am in better form now than I was two weeks ago. I have been doing the right things, and I have no regrets. ‘I got my practice in at the weekend, which was kind of a bonus. ‘There is nothing that I fear out here this week, I can definitely do it. ‘It is all about if I fall into a nice mental state. I am trying my hardest to get into that mental outlook and if I get there, I can be competitive and win this.’