Padraig Harrington believes Irish amateur golfer Paul Dunne has a "bright future" in the game after making waves at this year's Open Championship.

The Greystones man had a share of the lead at St Andrews before falling back during yesterday's final round.

But Harrington, who joined us on Off The Ball tonight, feels Dunne has reached a pivotal juncture in his career. 

"I do like what I see. He's in a very interesting situation now. Obviously, he's likely to wait for the Walker Cup because the Walker Cup is a big deal. But when you turn pro the most important thing is to have momentum and to be playing well and to be feeling confident and comfortable amongst pros," said Harrington, who feels that Dunne should also take the confidence gained from the weekend into the next phase of his career.

"So, it's a very awkward situation he's in because his future's in the pro game but having to play in the Walker Cup would be a big kudos to him and also brings closure to him finishing his amateur career and turning pro. So there's a lot of reasons to stay and play the Walker Cup. I believe that's what he's interested in doing and fair play to him for that."

Harrington also discussed his own tournament, in which he was well in contention, until the final round saw him finish in a tie for 20th.

But he also had an insight into the ups and downs of the game among the players on Tour.

"There are several players on the Tour who are good players, some who can't chip so there would be a number of golf courses that they can't play. Some can't get our of bunkers, some have the yips and it's amazing how players can be the best in the world at certain parts of the game and be pretty close to amateurish at the other parts."  

Listen to the full interview via the podcast.