Pádraig Harrington set to break record held by Seve Ballesteros at Irish Open

“Gee whizz,” declares Pádraig Harrington when he is informed of his latest slice of history.

By teeing it up at Doonbeg on Thursday, Harrington will feature in the Irish Open for a 31st-straight year. It will extend his record streak at the event – Eamonn Darcy is next on the list with 28 appearances – and put Harrington ahead in terms of consecutive appearances at any national open. The record was previously held by Seve Ballesteros, who didn’t miss a Spanish Open appearance for 30 years.