Hauser: What will Padraig surprise us with in '09?

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He's as comfortable as an old shoe. And we mean that in the best of ways.

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There's no pretense. Just soft-spoken honesty punctuated at times with a little self-deprecation. He pauses before he answers a question, not for effect, but rather to be thoughtful and measure his words. He grins a lot too -- almost always one of those wide infectious ones that can't help but make you smile.

He punctuates his sentences with "eh." What Irishman, well, Dubliner, doesn't?. His tongue peeks out of side of his mouth on every shot. And those eyes? They open wider when he focuses on the shot at hand and dance when he tells a tale.

Yes, we're talking about Padraig Harrington. Paddy. A great guy everyone would love to hang out with; to have as a mate. Doesn't smoke or drink. Married his high school sweetheart. Came from a family of policemen and was going to be an accountant when he got sidetracked by golf. He's fiercely loyal -- to his family, country, his mates and even his sponsors. His caddie is his brother-in-law and, off the course, one of his close friends.

He's so nice, so fresh-faced, so boy-next-door he's a walking, talking "Got milk?" ad. So Irish, he'd be slapping your back in the pub as you down another pint.

So good at what he does that he's a seriously major player. As in won three of the last six of them, including back-to-back Open Championships. And with the Masters just around the corner? Don't dismiss that with a Tiger-will-be-back-by-then backhand. Harrington has three top-sevens at Augusta, including a T-5 in 2008 and a T-7 in 2007.

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Harrington and brother-in-law/caddie Ronan Flood (right) pose with Harrington's family at Oakland Hills last August.

A little luck here, a great shot there and Harrington -- eh, Paddy -- could be looking at the third leg of a Slam and we could be talking about Paddy Slam. He's got four top-10s in the last nine U.S. Opens.

No, we're not getting ahead of ourselves. Paddy wouldn't. Just tossing it out there. Making you think. Offering a delicious little scenario that might not have crossed your mind.

After all, Harrington didn't feel like a factor at Royal Birkdale last July. The question was whether the 2007 Open champion, who had injured his wrist, could even tee off, let alone walk away with a second Claret Jug. And, look what happened.

A few weeks later, he slammed the door shut on Sergio Garcia at the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills. A Tiger-like take-down to go with an incredible wind-blown back nine at Birkdale.

Brilliant.

So, as he prepares to make his 2009 debut on the PGA TOUR this week at the Buick Invitational -- he tied for 36th at the U.S. Open held at Torrey Pines last June -- we can't help but wonder what we could be overlooking.

Hard to say that about the world's No. 3 who, when it comes to majors, feels more like No. 2. But that's all part of this underrated superstar.

He's not only the Champion Golfer of the Year once again, he's the everyone's player of last year. Two majors. Sheer brilliance. Enough to make Tiger take note.

Harrington went out and took those majors. He did the same thing at Carnoustie in 2007, only he needed extra holes to do it. But we saw it there. He struggled coming in, wound up in a playoff with Sergio Garcia and, after a birdie on the first of four extra holes, it was over.

He's self-made from head-to-toe. Didn't start his career with the best of swings, but he's got a more classic one now that works. He's surrounded himself with a major entourage of swing, brain and fitness coaches. He's learned the difference between winning your basic event -- The Honda Classic or Spanish Open -- and a major is all between the ears.

Paddy's a man of routines. Always has been. Nothing gets in the way. And don't ask if he does much around the house. He doesn't. As his wife told The (London) Times, he's never seen a credit card statement and he doesn't do well at the grocery store.

But everything else? He worked with Bob Torrance -- Sam's dad -- to find that dependable swing. He's sought out Bob Rotella to work on the mental side and now, he offers Rotella-isms to others. Carries a cheatsheet of bullet-point keys he can skim in 10 minutes if need be.

And he faces forward. He looks at what's in front of him, not what's way ahead. He does his homework every week -- his swing, the course, his focus. He follows that routine.

There's no question Harrington's tough. Tough enough to go head-to-head with Tiger at a major somewhere soon. Tough enough to handle the intense media pressure of teeing off with a chance to win his third consecutive major.

But for now, what's in front of him is Torrey. Not U.S. Open-style Torrey Pines, but the one Tiger and Phil Mickelson grew up playing.

Harrington didn't finish 2008 the way he hoped. He didn't contend in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup and didn't make it to the TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Then he went 0-3-1 at the Ryder Cup.

He didn't expect to open the 2009 season firing at pins at the Abu Dhabi Classic. He worked his way through the practice rounds and knocked off the rust. He tied for fifth with teenage sensation and fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy -- four shots behind winner Paul Casey.

McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic last week, launching him into golf's stratosphere with comparisons to Tiger at 19. Could Harrington follow with a win this week?

Harrington didn't bow in with such a swirl surrounding him. Even now, you can bet people are talking more about Tiger and Phil and Sergio at Augusta. Maybe even Rory.

Paddy's still in the second paragraph.

That can be a good thing. Embrace that comfortable old-shoe feel, those wide-eyes and measured words but don't let them lull you into forgetting about him. Remember the brilliance of a grinder who has gone from an amateur playing against the big boys to a three-time major champion.

And a guy who knows what it takes to win No. 4.

Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.