Padraig Harrington's upper hand over Sergio Garcia in the majors could be about to change.
That is the view of former Open and US Open champion Tony Jacklin, who rates the 28-year-old Spaniard "the best ball-striker out there".
Jacklin, who today received the PGA Recognition Award in London, said: "I think Padraig has done incredibly well to win three majors - but I would be more excited about Sergio.
"Obviously we know about him being fragile with the putter. But he's improved that this year, and I would be disappointed if he didn't win four majors.
"Every week he plays he is there. The power in his swing is unbelievable - and it's controlled. I'm a great Sergio man."
Harrington's first major victory in last year's Open at Carnoustie came when he beat Garcia in a play-off, and they clashed again at the US PGA in August - when the 37-year-old Dubliner produced a dazzling finish to become the first European to take that title since 1930.
With Garcia now up to second in the world behind Tiger Woods, a rivalry between the pair is now clearly established - and Harrington added fuel to that by admitting recently that they had nothing in common apart from their jobs.
On that Jacklin, now 64, Florida-based and with a worldwide golf course design business occupying him, commented: "We all need a rivalry - there's nothing wrong with that."
Both Harrington and Garcia have the US Open on their wish-list for 2009. Jacklin remains the last European winner of that, and his amazing seven-stroke victory in 1970 came while he was also the reigning Open champion.
The Scunthorpe-born player went on, of course, to captain Europe
four times in the Ryder Cup - leading them to victory in 1985 and 1987 before they kept the trophy with a tie back at The Belfry two years later.
With worries about what the weather will be like for the clash at Celtic Manor in Wales in October 2010, Jacklin can see the case for
a change of the match from three to four days.
But that does not mean he would be happy to see the format altered so that all the players are involved in the foursomes and fourballs rather than four left out of each session.
"I think the Ryder Cup success has a tremendous amount to do with the format being what it is and not doing what they do at the Presidents Cup," he said.
"I said to Ken (former European Tour executive director Ken Schofield) when I left the job 'whatever else you do, never mess with the format'.
"More often than not it has leant itself to a close finish.
"The Americans tried (to change) after we won two in a row in the 1980s. They wanted to move the goalposts."
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