Spanish eyes will be smiling at this year's Open

JOHANNESBURG - Sadly for me, after a long run of attending Opens I won’t be at Royal Birkdale this week for the 146th edition of golf’s oldest Major, now that I’ve been put out to pasture.

But I was at Birkdale for the 2008 Open there, when Ireland’s Padraig Harrington won, defending his title at the same time. And thinking about it now, especially since the name Harrington cropped up last week in the Scottish Open where he led at halfway before finishing tied fourth, brought the memories of a wonderful 2008 Open flooding back.

Harrington doesn’t drink, or at least he didn’t at the time, but that didn’t stop one of the UK’s tabloids running a rather appropriate “Make Mine a Double!” banner after he defended his crown, as he had also triumphed at Carnoustie 12 months earlier.

The day before the 2008 Open started, an injury to Padraig’s right wrist cast doubts about whether he would start. But the 36-year-old not only teed off on the Thursday, but went on to best cope with the driving rain and near gale-force winds that battered the fabled links all week. The £750 000 he earned prompted another catchy headline: “Paddy’s Wristful of Dollars!”.

Can’t wait to get started tomorrow @TheOpen alongside @RossFisher & @BWiesberger Tee times R1 12.42pm & R2 7.41am

— Ernie Els (@TheBig_Easy) July 19, 2017

“Harri Putter - His Chamber of Secrets” was also appropriate as Harrington certainly did have some magic going over the four days with his "flat stick".

He returned home with the Claret Jug after becoming the first European golfer since Scotland’s James Braid in 1906 to win back-to-back Opens.

“It’s a lot shinier than I remember,” joked the Dubliner, who had only handed the famous trophy back to the R&A on the Tuesday before the tournament.

“They obviously cleaned it up nicely. I had a great year after winning the 2007 Open, so much so I didn’t want to return it. Well I won’t have to now and it’ll be nice to have it back on the breakfast table.”

Padraig finished four ahead of runner-up Ian Poulter, and if 54-hole leader Greg Norman had managed to close the deal he would have become, at 53, the oldest champion of any Major. But it wasn’t to be as the Shark signed for an eight-bogey final round 77, to tie for third.

A hug and a kiss from new bride Chris Evert however, helped ease the disappointment as Norman left the 18th green.