As he prepares to defend his title at the Alfred Dunhill Links championships, Padraig Harrington has revealed the aftermath of his dramatic Open triumph left him on the edge of breaking point.
The 36-year-old returns to the scene of his Claret Jug victory at Carnoustie this week for the event which is also played over nearby St Andrews and Kingsbarns in the company of amateur partner, JP McManus.
The Irish pair are looking to record a historic treble in the £2.5million Pro-Am event following success both last year and in 2002.
Harrington withdrew from last week's Seve Trophy match in his home country citing fatigue and injury brought on by a post-Open run of events in the States which included five tournaments in seven weeks from the US PGA championship to the Tour championship.
The Dubliner, who is number one in the European rankings, has also been swamped by various media and corporate demands since landing his maiden Major crown in a play-off back in July.
He said: "I believe I made the right decision for me in terms of the way I felt last week. Something was going to break and it was probably going to be me. Obviously I would love to do the tour of everywhere with the Claret Jug but I have to be responsible and take the rest.
"I have played too many events this year and next season I intend to play much less. I would have loved the Seve Trophy but that's where the conflict is. As a player there are some great tournaments around the world and we have so many opportunities but I have to be professional and sensible. We can't do it all.
"I could still end up playing something like 32 or 33 events this year. Look at Tiger Woods for example. He might play just 18 or 19 events this year. I'm going to be playing twice as many as the world number one. We have to learn from the best player in the world about pinpointing events."
Harrington is relishing the prospect of a return to the Carnoustie links for his first appearance in Europe since the Open.
With his Claret Jug success still fresh in his mind, the Dubliner was still quick to express his relief that, by starting at the tenth tee in tomorrow's opening round, Carnoustie's fiendish 18th will only be his ninth hole of the day.
Harrington almost threw away the Open title when, a shot ahead of Sergio Garcia coming down the last, he plunged his ball into the Barry Burn twice on his way to a double-bogey and ended up in a play-off from which he finally emerged victorious.
Harrington's torrid experiences of the 18th also stretch back to his days in the unpaid ranks when he lashed a ball out of bounds during the semi-finals of the Amateur championship in 1992 and lost by a hole to eventual champion Stephen Dundas.
He added: "I'm pleased it will be the ninth! I don't think I've ever walked to the 18th at Carnoustie and felt good about it. Since the amateur days it's been a tough hole for me. I have a lot of baggage on that hole but you also have the baggage of other players down the years. It's got to be one of the toughest finishing holes in golf."
