Padraig Harrington poses with the trophy following the final round at the 2022 U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley C.C. (Old Course) in Bethlehem, Pa. on Sunday, June 26, 2022. (Chris Keane/USGA)

Fourteen years after his third Major win and six years after his last tournament victory of any kind Pádraig Harrington proved he still has the Major X-Factor when he held off a charging Steve Stricker to gain some revenge for last year's Ryder Cup defeat and win the US Senior Open by a shot.

Five ahead overnight, the Dubliner (50) was six shots clear with nine holes to play before Stricker, who captained the USA to a record 19-9 win over Harrington's European team at Whistling Straits, closed with a brilliant, six-under 65 to set the target at nine-under-par.

"Really good," Harrington said when asked how it felt to be described as US Senior Open champion.

"I think I said it yesterday. When you come to the Champions Tour, it's here to win tournaments and win the big tournaments, try and win the majors.

"I really appreciated the type of week it was. The USGA set up a fabulous course, much tougher than I had expected. I knew that would play into my hands…"

With Stricker just a shot behind playing the last, Harrington holed a 30-footer at the 15th to briefly go two ahead before the American birdied the 18th from six feet to reduce his lead to one again on the demanding Old Course at Saucon Valley Country Club, 50 miles north of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania.

"It would have to be Steve Stricker chasing me down," Harrington said after successfully two-putting the last three greens from distance, nervelessly knocking in a three-footer on the final green for a one-over 72 to become the first Irishman to hoist the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy on 10-under 274.

"Steve, give me a break, please. Yeah, Steve's a tough competitor. Certainly he seems to have one on me over the years. So it's nice to get one back on him this time."

Harrington's first senior win came after three runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour Champions this season, earning him a gold medal, exemptions into the next 10 US Senior Opens, a cheque for $720,000 (€682,084) and a spot in the 2023 US Open at The Los Angeles Country Club.

It was a hugely impressive performance for a man who won back-to-back Open Championships in 2007 and 2008 and the 2008 US PGA.

The US Open resisted Harrington during his regular career, and he'll now bridge a ten-year gap since his last appearance next summer and bid to improve on his record of five top-10s and three top-five finishes, including a career-best tie for fourth at The Olympic Club in 2012.

While his brilliant driving and approach play allowed him to build a six-shot lead with nine holes to go, his sometimes fragile putting allowed him to finally add a USGA title and another Major to his collection.

While he had a huge lead overnight, Harrington was ready for all eventualities and rather than enjoying a victory procession, he was not surprised he had to suffer to get the job done.

"Because there's no glory in that. I told you, there would be no glory. If I didn't win from the wrong side of the draw, there would be no glory," he said.

"As kids, we certainly want it to be magical and dream about it. Golf's not like that, to be honest. It was a tough day. I said it to you yesterday, where having a five-shot lead going out there, yeah, if I went out and played great and ran away from the field, I could wave at the crowd and take shots on. If anything, maybe even improve my position.

"But golf just doesn't be like that. How many times do we see it? It always comes down to the last couple of holes.

"You know, when it got very tight, my caddie just kept reminding me that, if we were told we were going to be in this position on Sunday when we arrived here, a week in advance, if we were told we were going to be with a one-shot lead, we'd be very happy.

"It is very hard with a five-shot lead. You're definitely very defensive. The last couple of holes, I suppose when I got back to a one-shot lead, I was still somewhat defensive, but it's a position you want to be in.

"I didn't enjoy hitting that putt on the last from three feet, but you just have to accept it. If you want to win tournaments, you've got to put yourself out there. It could have been bad, but I got the glory instead.

"As Arnold Palmer says, if you're going to hit one good shot, make it the last one."

He was especially satisfied to make his first senior win a US Senior Open.

"I think it's special for me to win this one just because I've never won a USGA event," he said, still buzzing after the tension of the back nine. "I think that adds more than if you could turn around and win a different senior major. But because I was never a US Open normal champion or a junior champion, it's great to come and win the senior one. It adds something that I never had in my career.

It adds something. A gold medal."

As for his play, his driving was at a different level to the rest of the field, but it was his putting — so often his Achilles' heel in recent years — which saved him in the end as he made difficult, long-range, two-putts pars on the last three greens.

After a delicate two-putt from 40 feet at the 16th, he ran a 45-footer six feet past at the par-three 17th but made the return, then two-putted the 18th from 35 feet, rolling in a three-footer for a one-over 72 and his first win since the 2016 Portugal Masters.

"Isn't it weird that my putting won the event today after how much I struggled on the greens for the first 14 holes?" he said.

"16 and 18 were triple breakers. That was the problem on 18. My putt was left to right, right to left, and left to right. 16 was the same. 16 wasn't as bad because it was all downhill. It was getting there. I didn't mind 16, even though it had a couple of breaks in it.

"17, I don't know that I could have got the ball any closer. So 17 was the hardest putt because the further right I went, the higher up the hill I went, meant the faster it would come down. So 17 was definitely the hardest two-putt."

Just 13 months ago, he finished tied fourth behind Phil Mickelson in the US PGA at Kiawah Island.

"Yeah, 13 months, and a lot has gone on in that time, no doubt about it," he said. "Do they say interesting times is a curse, may your life be interesting, something like that? Certainly, yeah, plenty of drama going on in the world of golf."

Given his brilliance from tee to green and the way he overcame the mental challenge on the greens, who would rule him out in The 150th Open at St Andrews from July 14-17?