With his victory, the Irishman joins the likes of Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods, all of whom have successfully defended the Open in the post-War era, writes Lawrence Donegan.
On a day at Royal Birkdale when the game of golf never seemed tougher, the toughest competitor in the field prevailed to win his second successive Open championship. Padraig Harrington, who had almost withdrawn from the tournament with injury before a ball was struck, added his name to the elite roll of golfers who have defended the game's most famous trophy, beating Ian Poulter by a margin of four shots and the galleries' romantic favourite, Greg Norman, by six.
It was a stunning victory for the Irishman, who had defeated Sergio Garcia in a play-off at Carnoustie last year. The latest triumph was a far ? more comfortable affair thanks to his final nine holes, which he covered in only 32 shots - the most memorable of which was an approach to the par-five 71st hole which finished only three feet from the cup. The eagle putt was not much more than a tap-in, the walk down to the final hole tantamount to a victory march.
"I liked being Open champion so much I didn't want to give the trophy back," he said afterwards. "There is a different satisfaction in winning this year. Last year was a thrilling win. I was on top of the world when I won but this gives me more satisfaction. I feel more accomplished. Winning one brings you relief but this one will give me confidence.
"It is the first time I have gone out in the final group at a major on a Sunday afternoon but I felt really good and I hit the ball every bit as solid as I ever had."
With his victory, Harrington joins the likes of Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods, all of whom have successfully defended the Open in the post-War era.
He also joins Woods in the yet-to-be-established Hall of Fame reserved for injured golfers who have won major championships in 2008.
He is the first European to win two in a row since James Braid in 1906, though those with an eye on the immediate future - most notably Nick Faldo - will have been heartened to see him cement his place in Europe's Ryder Cup team to face the United States later in the year.
Poulter, too, now seems set to face the Americans. This will come as a great relief for the peacock of English golf but it will be scant consolation on a day when he seemed destined to fulfil his own predictions of greatness.
"I have known I can play well and perform at this level. There is plenty more where that came from and I know I can do better," he said after signing for a final-round 69, one under par, and a 72-hole total of 287, seven over.
On another day that would have been good enough to secure an unlikely victory. But this was to be Harrington's day; that much seemed clear as the day dawned with 40mph winds gusting across the Birkdale links.
Great patience, great fortitude and, most importantly, great golf were required, and many were found wanting. Among those who saw their hopes carried off in the breeze towards the Irish sea were Garcia, who arrived on the Lancashire coast as the pre-tournament favourite and departed a bedraggled figure after signing for a 72-hole total of 297, 17 over par, and K. J. Choi, the hard man of Korean golf, who never recovered from a run of four bogeys in five holes at the start of his round.
The 53-year-old Norman, who had held a two-shot lead overnight, was another. He endured a torrid beginning to his day, dropping three shots over his opening three holes. It says much about his spirit that he battled back, even to the extent of regaining the lead when Harrington, his playing partner, dropped shots on the seventh, eighth and ninth holes.
In the end he succumbed to the conditions, signing for a seven-over par-round of 77, leaving him in a tie with Henrik Stenson for third place. Eight times Norman has led going into the final round of a major and only once, at Turnberry in 1986, has he held on to win.
Nevertheless this has been a memorable week for the Australian, who arrived at Birkdale with his new wife, the former Wimbledon tennis champion Chris Evert, his preparation amounting to little more than hitting a couple of buckets of practice balls at the range.
By and large part-time golfers don't win Open championships, as Norman, even in his wildest dreams, must have known. Yet, his efforts over the four days, plus his love-struck utterances about his new bride, have been a wonderfully diverting feature of a wonderful week, not least because they have served as a reminder to the empiricists and utilitarians that when all is said and done sport is as much about personalities as it is about results.
"Am I disappointed? Of course I am. But at the same time, when I think about it, what would have happened if I had won? I might have to go out there and play more golf and maybe I don't want to do that," he said. "I am happy with my life now. I don't have to practice, practice, practice. I have a balanced life now."
With that Norman headed off into the arms of his bride, and together they head north, to Troon, where the Australian will tee it up again, this time with the over-50s at the British Seniors' Open.
If Norman proved to be a walking advert for senior golf, then youth golf found itself equally well represented by Chris Wood, who won the silver medal awarded to the highest-placed amateur.
The 20-year-old from Bristol finished in joint fifth place, alongside the former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk.
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