LEARNING; ALWAYS learning. In bygone days, a fifth-place finish in a major would have had Padraig Harrington, to use a cliché, over the moon. Not any longer. Now, as a major winner, all that matters is winning.

An insight into Harrington's new, heightened expectations was provided shortly after he finished his final round at Augusta National on Sunday evening. The Dubliner was standing, answering questions, in the roped-off media area behind the recorder's hut when an American reporter wondered how it felt to be the leading European.

Affording himself a glance at the giant leaderboard overlooking the 18th green, the fact registered for the first time. "I couldn't care less (about being top European)," he responded, laughing. "There is no tournament within a tournament."

Harrington, who has stayed on in the US for a couple of days, holding a corporate day for Bank of Ireland yesterday and arranging to play the course at Augusta National today with two of his brothers, could take reassurance his preparations for the Masters at least got him into contention.

"I'm delighted that every time I turn up for these things and do my thing that I get myself in there (in the mix)," said Harrington, whose tied-fifth finish alongside Phil Mickelson earned him €173,974 and moved him up to fourth on the European Ryder Cup rankings.

"I need to concentrate on my strengths and my ability and the fact I am good down the stretch. I'm not good because I have won a Major but because I can see it's an extreme test (in any major) and I've got the ability to handle it."

Certainly, Harrington's schedule up to the Masters - which saw him bypassing the CA championship in Doral in order to give him a run of two weeks tournament play in the run-up to Augusta - was vindicated. "Yes, I feel my preparations were good. I set my stall out that I was building up for the Masters and I'll set my stall out now for the US Open the next couple of months.

"I feel like I'm walking away from here saying, yeah, there's nothing in my golf swing that needs to be worked on if I'm to win more majors. There's nothing in my ability to play the game that needs to be worked on. It's all there. It is just a question of getting the best out of me in the weeks of majors."

If there was one aspect of Harrington's game that let him down, it was his putting and chipping in the first round. "I could have been better . . . but those are strong points in my game and I don't see them as general weaknesses. I'll look to those areas, you've got to keep them strong as well as working on other things. But my basic attitude is if I bring my game to each major, I will get into contention in a number of them . . . and if you're in contention in a number of them, you will win some of them."

Harrington intends to take a three-week break before returning to action in the Players Championship at Sawgrass, followed by the Irish Open at Adare Manor the following week and, then, the BMW PGA at Wentworth.