The Masters 2004: If Padraig Harrington took anything home with him from Augusta, apart from the neck strain that is unlikely to stop him from playing in the Irish PGA Championship which starts in St Margaret's on Thursday, it is a further realisation that his game has evolved to the stage where he is capable of landing a major title.

"I know what I need to do to get better," said Harrington, "and that is simply to continue to do what I am doing. I know I am good enough and it is just a question of getting better at what I am doing . . . it has been a learning curve for the past few years, but now I am developing on what I know."

This US Masters was the 24th major appearance of Harrington's career, and the tied-13th place finish (which earned him $125,667 in prize money and increased his haul from a three-week stint in the US to more than $1 million) was significant in that it was achieved without him playing to his full potential.

"I know where I stand," he added, "and the little things that need to be worked on, but I am going to stick to what I have been doing for the rest of the year.

"Most years I am chopping and changing, but I am not going to do that this year, I have no need to. I am very happy with where my game is. I am swinging the club well and I believe these are good times for me. I intend to just work with what I have got."

Since turning professional, Harrington's graph has been up: he appeared in just one major, the British Open, in his first full year on tour in 1996, but he has competed in all four each year since 2000.

One cause for concern for Harrington, though, was the recurrence of the neck strain that first manifested itself in the US PGA two years ago.

"It's the old injury, the C5 area of the spinal cord," said Harrington, who received treatment over the weekend from his physiotherapist, Dale Richardson.

Despite the injury, Harrington, who is due to arrive back in Dublin today, was more than hopeful that he would be able to keep a commitment to play in the Irish PGA Championship.

"I've been told that a few days rest should be sufficient to correct the problem," he said.

Meanwhile, Darren Clarke, who missed the cut at the Masters by one shot, remains on in America to compete in the MCI Heritage Classic at Hilton Head.