GOLF: Tiger Woods can offer Pádraig Harrington the benefit of his experience in dealing with the "eternity" between major championships when the pair tee off together in the Arnold Palmer Invitational tomorrow.

Harrington has won three of the last six major championships and the last two in a row, and can therefore become only the third player in history - after Ben Hogan and Woods - to win three majors in succession at next month’s US Masters.

Woods of course won four in a row to complete the ‘Tiger Slam’, his victory in the 2001 Masters coming after wins in the US Open, Open Championship and USPGA Championship in 2000.

And the world number one is well aware of what Harrington will have to deal with as he continues his preparations for Augusta at Bay Hill this week.

Asked what will be most difficult to handle, Woods said: “It’s going to be the expectations, the responsibilities that come with winning two majors in a row, the questions he’s going to get asked week in and week out.

“It has been months (of that) because of obviously the big break between the PGA and the Masters.

“I remember in 2000 going into 2001, the time that it took to get from the PGA to the Masters just seemed like an eternity because people kept asking questions each and every day about what do you think about Augusta.

“But that’s just something that he’s had to deal with. He’s had plenty of months to deal with it and it’s just right around the corner now.”

Harrington has famously racked up more than 30 runners-up finishes and was in danger of being one of the game’s nearly men before winning the Open in 2007.

Even then the Dubliner almost had another second place to add to his collection, making a double-bogey six on the 18th at Carnoustie before beating Sergio Garcia in a play-off.

The 37-year-old’s successful defence of the title 12 months later at Birkdale was more commanding, a back nine of 32 in the final round sealing a four-shot triumph, and another back nine of 32 also secured his USPGA win over the unfortunate Garcia at Oakland Hills.

“It’s just confidence. Once you get it done once, it’s amazing what that does for you,” added Woods when asked to explain the transformation in Harrington’s game.

“If you look at Paddy’s career, all around the world, how many times did he finish second? But once he learned how to win, how many times has he won since?

“And once he won a major, he won two last year. It just shows you that you can do it.

“The way he came back after making a mistake at Carnoustie, his two back nines last year, I believe it was 32 on both of them. To do that on the back nine on Sunday of a major championship, that’s awfully impressive.

“I think that’s just his confidence. He works hard, there’s no doubt, he’s one of the hardest workers that we have in the game of golf.

“It’s just a matter of proving to yourself that once you do it once, it becomes a little bit easier to do it again.”