"Obviously, I've been the No. 1 European player for six years. It is interesting that it has taken these major wins to get that across," Harrington said.
As far as a leadership role, "that can only come from the other players," he said. "There's no doubt, I'll always make myself available to help anybody else, but in that sense, winning a couple of majors may make people seek advice from me during that week."
White Oak was developed by several Irish businessmen - some of the course's caps include the Irish flag - who made Harrington and his family feel at home. Harrington doesn't expect his worldwide schedule to change that much. He's just happy to have an American base for wife Caroline and their two children when he's on the PGA Tour.
Harrington's next challenge? Ensuring he doesn't stop challenging himself.
"It's such a high in my career, it very easily could be the last high. And many players have failed at this point in the past," he says. "That's the key. I have to set new goals."
Count more majors among them. He spent the past few seasons honing his practice schedule to prepare for his sports' biggest events, much to the worry of many in his native land, who routinely question why one of their most important sports stars doesn't win more often.
Harrington remembers earlier this year: A delivery man asked what had gone wrong with his play even though he had had four top-5 finishes in nine PGA Tour events prior to the British.
"You can get drawn into it. Winning can bring more pressure if you allow it," Harrington said. "You just have to get yourself into doing your own thing."
