Padraig Harrington makes no attempt to dress up the PGA Grand Slam of Golf with ribbons or bows.

For the affable Dubliner, the PGA Tour's curtain call has more than just an element of the exhibition about it. And that's exactly why he's relishing the prospect of some stress-free golf in picturesque surroundings.

Who could blame him? If anyone deserves to enjoy the annual off-season extravaganza it's Harrington, who finally cracked the glass ceiling to win his first major title, The Open Championship, this summer.

It marked the culmination of a lifetime of graft for the 36-year-old, who earned the right to play in the elite foursome, and the reward to enjoy it in a relaxed fashion.

"Do you know what, I'm not entirely sure how the Grand Slam is perceived by other golfers," said Harrington after a long pause. "I guess they would all like to play in it as it means you've won a major.

"I suppose there's an element of the exhibition about it. It's a little bit different from the norm with just four players involved. We'll all be miked up for the television coverage and those sorts of things give the tournament a different outlook.

"We play so much stressful golf throughout the season it'll be quite nice to play in a more relaxed atmosphere. I think we'll be able to enjoy our golf a bit more with there not being the same pressure to perform."

Harrington handed organisers a scare in the wake of Tiger Woods' withdrawal when he was forced to pull out of the Seve Trophy due to a cocktail of injuries weeks before the Grand Slam, which starts on Monday with the Pro-Am.

It emerged he was carrying no fewer than three injuries after playing three of four FedEx Cup play-off events. The punishing end-of-season schedule has left him reassessing his golf calendar, conceding he needs to cut back.

"I'm over my problems and feel ready to go again," says Harrington who will playing in this weekend's World Match Play Championship in Surrey, England.

"I needed a fortnight off and I was still pretty busy doing interviews and what not. It was good to be able to spread things over two weeks and spend time with my family.

"There's an awful lot of great tournaments around these days and I do think I've probably been tempted to play too many. I need to play a little bit less.

"But I'm really looking forward to the Grand Slam as I've earned the right to be there. It's my reward.

"I'm sure the other three guys will come to win, I know I'm certainly hoping to bring my game with me.

"I've never been to Bermuda and that's one of the best things, being able to come somewhere new. But I don't know anything about the course."

One course he'll never be able to forget is Carnoustie, Scotland. The gruesomely difficult 18th hole, in particular, will forever hold a special place in his heart ... and occasionally haunt his nightmares.

Going into the last day's play six shots behind leader Sergio Garcia, Harrington chipped away at the Spaniard and by the time he stood at the final tee he was one-up, with the revered Open trophy agonisingly within his grasp.

Then his approach shot bombed into the Barry Burn, a feat he painfully repeated, to send the match into a four-hole play-off he recovered to win.

"It's a very difficult hole, one of the most difficult in golf," Harrington explains. "You know, golfers will always play bad shots. When my first tee shot went into water I was pretty philosophical. I thought, "that's ok, I can still have a decent hole" but when I did it the second time panic set in.

"I'd got so close and I thought I'd thrown it way. I was very depressed; I thought I'd lost the game. But my caddy did a great job and managed to bring me back from the depths of despair.

"When I won the feelings were just unbelievable. I can't really find the right word to describe it." Euphoria?

"Yes, that's a very appropriate word as I wear euphoria on the sleeve of my shirt, literally they're one of my sponsors. I did feel euphoric and to finally achieve something you have worked your whole life for is incredible. If I could find the right words I could write a book on the emotions I felt."

"I always thought a major was within me, it's the pinnacle. I knew I'd gained the experience if the chance came my way and thankfully I eventually took it."

Harrington joins Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Angel Cabrera in the Grand Slam of Golf at Mid-Ocean Club from October 15-17.