The Irish Majors: The Story Behind the Victories of Ireland's Top Golfers - Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Pádraig Harrington

Book excerpt: When Pádraig Harrington won the Open Championship in 2007, he became only the second Irish golfer ever to win a Major, ending a drought which dated back to Fred Daly's victory of 1947. But Harrington's great achievement was more than the breaking of a hoodoo: it was the start of the most glorious period in the history of Irish golf. Harrington retained the coveted Claret Jug in 2008 and added the US PGA championship that same year. In 2010, Graeme McDowell had a breakthrough Major win in the US Open and was succeeded as champion in 2011 by the phenomenally talented Rory McIlroy. The remarkable run of Major champions from Ireland was continued that season when Darren Clarke claimed an emotional victory in the British Open to add his name to the list of great champions on the Claret Jug, and most recently by Rory McIlroy who in 2012 also struck gold in the US PGA. From Carnoustie to Royal Birkdale, Oakland Hills to Pebble Beach, and Congressional to Sandwich and Kiawah Island, The Irish Majors is the story of these great victories and of the background to Ireland's golden generation of golfers. Philip Reid has the inside track on these wonderful Irish triumphs and he brings it all home in this celebratory book.