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Padraig Harrington arrived at The 137th Open nursing a wrist injury and unsure whether he would even be able to compete.

For the Irishman, simply taking his place in the field was the immediate priority. As a result, few could have predicted what would come next for the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year.

In the first of an R&A series in which Champion Golfers Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Louis Oosthuizen and Harrington rewatch their Open wins, he reflects on a week that began "as tough as can be" but became one of the most treasured of his career, ending with him lifting the Claret Jug for a second time in as many years.

The three-time major winner reveals how his mindset evolved as the Championship progressed, and talks about what inspired his triumph at Royal Birkdale.

“The first morning was as tough as can be,” he said, speaking in the film. “It was cold, it was wet, it was windy.

“The most interesting thing for me was that I hadn’t played a practice round. I was injured coming in. I hurt my wrist on the Saturday.

“I was trying all sorts of physio, so to get playing was a big deal to me.”

In the video, which is now available on R&A TV, Harrington explains how he navigated those difficult early moments before finding his rhythm and moving into contention on England's golf coast.

As confidence grew, so did his position on the leaderboard. By Sunday, Harrington was two shots off the lead and set to play alongside Greg Norman in the final pairing.

“Being injured going into it took a lot of the stress off, but that was gone as soon as you get into contention,” he added.

“There are a lot of emotions going through your mind. A lot of things going on [but] it’s where you want to be. On a Sunday afternoon you want to be nervous.”

Those were the emotions Harrington had to embrace during a final round that would help shape his Open legacy. In the video, he revisits the key decisions and moments that were pivotal to his victory at Royal Birkdale.

From his strategy on the opening hole to a key moment on the 13th and, of course, the now legendary five-wood into the par-5 17th, Harrington offers an insight into the thinking behind his final round.

He also reflects on the feeling as he walked up the 18th hole knowing the Claret Jug was within touching distance.

“If you were 15 years of age, and you wrote down how you were going to win a major championship, you would write exactly this story,” he said.

“It was just perfect. The perfect week.”