By Neil Silver, PA Sport

Padraig Harrington is convinced he has the game to win a major.

The popular Irishman was the "nearly man" once again as he bogeyed the 18th hole to end his chances of lifting the Claret Jug at the Open at Muirfield.

But Harrington - who has finished as runner-up on 16 occasions on the European Tour - refused to feel disappointed after his 67 saw him finish on five-under, because he believes he has what it takes to make it on to the winner's podium in the future.

"I am not disappointed at all at not winning," insisted Harrington. "You only get disappointed when you don't have the answers, and I have the answers.

"It is only when you don't have the answers that you walk off the golf course with despair at what happened, but I can walk away from this with confidence rather than the other way around.

"I have all the answers and if I can put them together I'll be okay. I am very confident about my future prospects. It is a full package you need to win a major, I just didn't have the putting this week but I felt very comfortable out there and I don't think I need anything else."

Harrington was satisfied with his game but blamed his putting as the reason for his failure to finally claim a serious prize.

"I am very happy with the way I played," he said. "I felt very comfortable all day and hit it well within myself, but I putted very poorly this week.

"I changed putters during the tournament but I kept mis-hitting putts and it cost me dearly. I three-putted on four occasions this week and you cannot afford to give away four shots like that.

"My putting let me down this week but thankfully that is one of the stronger elements of my game, and I just have to get it all together in a tournament."

Harrington was on six under standing on the 18th tee but felt he needed a birdie to challenge Ernie Els, who was leading at that point on seven under.

Ironically, the South African stumbled and six under would have been good enough to have earned Harrington a place in a four-way play-off.

Harrington drove into a bunker and had to play-out backwards, which ultimately cost him a shot, and he finished the Open joint fifth.

"At 18 I felt like I had to hit a driver and wedge stone dead to win," he said. "I was never going to hit three-iron, five-iron into the middle of the green and try to hole a putt from 20 feet.

"But I got distracted on the tee because I looked up twice, and I hit a bad shot. I could sit and mope for hitting one bad tee shot on 18, but realistically I am very happy with the way I played and am extremely happy with how comfortable I felt on the course."