Sergio Garcia was the only player to finish in the top 10 in all four major championships last year, while Tiger Woods, of course, won two and finished second in another, but was blown away in the third round at Muirfield.

The next best record belonged to Harrington, who was fifth in the US Masters and eighth in the US Open, and then fifth again in The Open where Woods’ dreams of the Grand Slam died.

A share of fifth place in the record books, however, does not tell the whole story, as Harrington was unfortunate not to make it a five-way play-off for the Claret Jug.

Thinking he needed at least a birdie to challenge Ernie Els before the South African’s late stumble, Harrington took out his driver on the final hole, but could only find a fairway bunker off the tee.

Forced to hack out sideways, the resulting bogey dropped him back to five under and he could only watch as Thomas Levet, Stuart Appleby, Steve Elkington and Els all finished on six under before the South African eventually triumphed after extra holes.

A finish of joint 17th in the USPGA rounded off another consistent season for the Dubliner, who had missed just one cut in major championships between 2000 and 2002.

Doubts about his ability to win under pressure remained, however, after no fewer than 17 second places in his career at that stage, and 37 other top-10 finishes.

Those doubts were softened somewhat by victory in the Dunhill Links Championship in a play-off over Eduardo Romero a week after the Ryder Cup at The Belfry, and Harrington saved the best for last in 2002.

After winning the BMW Asian Open in Taiwan, Harrington partnered tournament host Tiger Woods in the final two rounds of the Target World Challenge in California and beat the world number one by two shots.

Another second place in the Tournament Players Championship at Sawgrass this year was forgivable given Davis Love’s brilliant final round, and after the 19th second place of his career in the final Benson & Hedges International at The Belfry, Harrington surely ended any doubts about his temperament with the manner of his victory seven days later in Germany.

Needing to birdie the last hole to win, Harrington left his long-range attempt 12 feet short of the hole, but held his nerve to force a play-off with Ryder Cup team-mate Thomas Bjorn.

And returning to the 18th in the play-off, significantly it was Bjorn’s nerve which failed, the Dane failing to recover from a greenside bunker and Harrington holing another testing par putt for the title.

The 31-year-old’s determination to challenge for major titles was then illustrated by his controversial decision to miss the European Tour’s flagship event, the Volvo PGA championship, in order to prepare for the US Open.

It was viewed almost as heresy in some quarters, but Harrington took the more pragmatic view that he had simply never played well at Wentworth and would be better served by travelling to America to acclimatise before the second major of the year at Olympia Fields in Chicago.

Similar pragmatism had earlier in the year greeted his joint victory in the traditional par-3 contest ahead of the US Masters, the winner of which has never gone on to win the green jacket in the same year.

David Toms and Harrington made sure the curse remained intact as Mike Weir took the title, Harrington making absolutely certain by missing the halfway cut.

It has not affected Harrington’s status as Europe’s leading golfer, and in fact he is the only European currently in the world’s top 10 after Garcia’s recent struggles as he makes changes to his swing.

And crucially it has not affected his belief that he can win any of the four majors and answer the different questions they pose; from the usually immaculate and lightning fast greens at Augusta, to the hard and fast-running links of the Open and the demand for accuracy and patience required at the US Open and USPGA.

“At Augusta, although they have lengthened it in recent years, you know what you’re going to get because it’s the same course every year and the greens are its major defence,” Harrington says.

“A US Open, and to a slightly lesser extent a USPGA, is the one that really tests your ability to hit it straight, hit it on the green and two-putt. It tests all the sort of strengths of golf that you would possibly put down in a perfect golf game. You want to be sort of like a machine.

“I enjoy it because it’s different. I say unimaginative, but it’s an exceptionally hard test and it’s great to see whether you can do that for four days. I think it’s something that does suit me. It does rely heavily on a good mental strategy.

“And of course The Open presents its own unique challenges with the weather and links courses combining to test every aspect of your game.”

It is a test Harrington relishes, and after finally answering the questions posed by his 19 second-place finishes, it is a test he could well soon pass with flying colours.