THE REIGN over, Pádraig Harrington soaked in the applause. This time, it was different. Rather than the rapturous idolisation that was accorded him as champion at Carnoustie and at Royal Birkdale, the crowd in the grandstand around the 18th green at Turnberry applauded – politely, with none of the Óle-Óle-Óle madcap celebrations of the previous two years – and then watched him disappear towards the recorder’s hut.

And, then, the interrogation.

A few tiddlers for starters.

Sad? “Not a bit.” Good run? “It’s been a great run . . . obviously, it’s come to an end but it has been a good two years.”

Still trying to work out the puzzle on the swing? “There’s still stuff to be worked on, no doubt about that. But I would say I am better now than a year ago.” And, therein, lies the conundrum that is Pádraig Harrington.

A year ago, he’d won back-to-back British Opens. A month later he would add the US PGA championship title. He was on top of the world. Yesterday, he finished with a final round 73 for 292, 12-over-par, for tied-65th position. He was finished and done with before the final pairing of Tom Watson and Matthew Goggin had even started their warm-ups on the range.

Harrington firmly believes that he is better now than a year ago. Go figure! On Saturday evening, unprompted, Old Tom had offered his own observation of the Dubliner’s swing. “I look at Pádraig Harrington right now, he shortened his swing and I think he’s having troubles because of it. I liked the length of the swing last year, and now he’s shortened the swing and he’s having a hard time with it. You lose your rhythm when you shorten the swing,” said Watson.

When this was put to Harrington yesterday, an unforced grin creased his face. “I’ve never tried to shorten my golf swing. It’s amazing that everybody has got that in their head. No, I never tried to shorten my swing . . . what actually happened is I have got a little bit stuck (on the upswing) because I was lifting my arms but I couldn’t go any further. I am a great believer in what Bob Torrance says, that your swing finds its own natural length, as Tom Watson’s swing has found its own natural length.”

Smiling even more widely, Harrington added: “ It’s very nice that Tom would take time out to give a helping hand . . . plenty of people have come up to me and offered me advice and it is all taken on board. But no, I have never tried to shorten my golf swing.”

Harrington’s reign officially ended yesterday but, in truth, it was all but over on Saturday where he played his way out of any chance of any possibility of a late, late show.

Now, it’s all about getting ready for the defence of his US PGA at Hazeltine next month. He has two weeks off before returning to competition at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational at Akron and then moving on to the final major of the season.

“The key now is to be ready for the PGA and that is what I am looking at going forward,” said Harrington. “I believe my game will be good and strong going into that and that is what I have go to wait for.”

Graeme McDowell finished up as the leading Irishman in tied-34th position after shooting a final round 73 for 285, five over. It wasn’t what he wanted, but took it on the chin. “You’ve got to take the positives away all the time. This is a really tough weekend’s golf, some of the hardest conditions I’ve played in good weather. Sure, the sun was shining but they were some of the hardest links conditions I’ve played in I have to say.

“The pin positions were borderline outrageous at times, they were nearly impossible to get the ball close to. They were forcing you to hit it to 30 or 40 feet all day and just accept that, and putt your way to the pins.”

McDowell had partnered Paul McGinley in the final round, but neither managed to find any momentum. McDowell birdied the seventh but then went double bogey-bogey to effectively end any chance of a late charge while McGinley had to wait until the 16th for his one and only birdie of a final round 75 for 287.

Rory McIlroy finished his first British Open as a professional with a 71 for 288, and hinted afterwards that he may change his preparations for next year’s championship at St Andrews by playing the Irish PGA – which had served Harrington well ahead of his wins at Carnoustie and Birkdale – rather than the Scottish Open.

He remarked: “I’ll sit down at the end of the year and give serious consideration to playing in the Irish PGA the week before (the Open). It’s worked for Pádraig a couple of times so we’ll see. Or maybe I’ll take two weeks off after the US Open and play a lot of links golf and then play Loch Lomond. It’s a hard tournament to miss.”

McIlroy and Harrington have a competitive break before the Bridgestone and the PGA in the States, but do cross swords on Wednesday in an exhibition to mark the opening of the Nick Faldo-designed Lough Erne course outside Enniskillen in Co Fermanagh.