 Harrington's best finish at Augusta was fifth in 2002 |
Ireland's Padraig Harrington believes a new European golden era at the Masters could be just around the corner. The last European winner at Augusta was Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999, the 10th such success dating back to Seve Ballesteros's triumph in 1980.
"It's like breaking the four-minute mile," said Harrington. "Once one does it, everybody will be able to do it.
"But very few guys win a major, especially this one, that have not had it and let it go."
 | The Masters is the toughest major to win - it asks the ultimate questions coming down the stretch |
He added: "You have to have been there once or twice to know what it feels like.
"It takes a lot of experience to win at Augusta. It really is not a tournament that throws up surprises.
"I definitely think it's the toughest major to win - it asks the ultimate questions coming down the stretch.
"There are a lot of shots that have to be absolutely perfect. The margin for error on the likes of 11, 12, 13, 15 is very slim.
"I think Lee Westwood described it best when he was leading going into the back nine (1999) and just everything totally changed."
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Westwood said he felt physically sick entering Amen Corner and he ended up only joint sixth.
Harrington, who has slipped two places to 10th in the latest world rankings, has struggled at Augusta since he tied for fifth in 2002.
And last June he bogeyed the final three holes of the US Open to miss out by two shots at Winged Foot.
| I'll be quite happy if I'm the fourth European to win a major in 2007 |
But Harrington has twice beaten world number one Tiger Woods going head-to-head in the final round of a tournament, a statistic that could stand him in good stead should he be in the mix at Augusta late on Sunday afternoon.
"The fact that I have successfully done it in the past, it's got to be positive," he said.
"But I don't think there's a single player in this field that wouldn't want to be playing with Tiger on Sunday because that usually says you're doing quite well."
Harrington, who topped the European Order of Merit in 2006, admitted that his recent form has been patchy but added: "I'm definitely looking to peak here, no question about it.
"I feel like my game is improving but I'm certainly not walking out there feeling like I have it totally under control or anything like that.
"Somebody was talking about their aspirations and said, 'I want to be the first European to win a major in 2007'. I'll be quite happy if I'm the fourth European to win a major in 2007."
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