Padraig Harrington will head to the Rio Olympics later this week a strong chance to deliver Ireland a medal after his rousing finish in the rain-affected PGA Championship at Baltusrol

Harrington upstaged his more fancied compatriots to be the only one Emerald Isle golfer among six to make the cut in the year’s final Major in New Jersey in posting rousing closing scores of 65 and 68.

The former PGA winner had taken full advantage of the softer Baltusrol layout producing a third round 65 to equal his lowest round in 69 Majors showings since making his Major’s debut back in 1996.

It handed Harrington an official share of 14th place at five under par when the third round finally ended near lunch local time Sunday.

He then took to the last day of the year’s last Major in persistent rain racing to seven under par on the back of an 18th foot birdie at the third and then hitting 161-yard second shot from the right rough to just two feet for birdie at the fifth.

Padraig Harrington plays out of a bunker at his final hole of the 2016 PGA Championship.

Harrington then dropped a first shot in 29 holes when he was in the rough both off the tee at 10 and then putting his second shot also into the rough from where he chipped and two putted for bogey.

But Harrington was not done parring the next six ahead of holing a 14-footer at 17 and then getting up-and-down from a greenside bunker at the last for par for an eventual six under par total, and ending his closing round nearly 70 minutes before third round leader Jimmy Walker walked onto the first tee for a last time.

Harrington’s effort ended a miserable run of having missed the cut in his past three PGA Championship’s and could not have been more timely as he also chases a place in the FedEx Cup Play-Off Series starting a fortnight after the Olympics.

“I was happy with my third round score and very happy with today’s round,” he said.

“I kept my head in the game all day today and while I knew I didn’t have a chance of winning it felt like I had a chance of winning, so I was out there playing as though I was right there in touch and it’s good to play good golf in those circumstances.

“I felt very comfortable in ninth position as I gave myself plenty of chances but then it would have been nice if one or two more putts had of dropped.”

Harrington is headed east to Connecticut for Thursday’s starting Travellers Championship and an event he contested last year but missing the cut whereas he was 11th in 2012.

And then after competing at TPC River Highlands Harrington heads with his family to Rio de Janeiro and his pride in finally representing Ireland in the Olympic Games, and given his form at Baltusrol he must be among the favourites to capture a medal in golf’s return to the Olympic arena for a first time in 112-years.

“I gave myself the goal in the summer of playing well in what I called my three majors, namely The Open, this PGA Championship and the Olympics”, he said.

“Knowing that if I prepared right I would get myself in contention in one of them but I only hope this week is not the one as I want to go into the Olympics giving it a good run, but this week certainly gives me some confidence that I can hit the shots when I am feeling a little bit of tension.

“It is very important for players to feel that as it’s hard to win out of the blue unless you are feeling some tension, so hopefully I can also feel that this week at the Travellers and if so, that would put me in good stead for the Olympics.”

Harington will tee-up in Rio on August 11th alongside team-mate Seamus Power after the duo secured the 42nd and 51st places in the 60-man field.

The men’s Gold will be decided on August 14th, a week before the conclusion of sport’s greatest festival, and while Harrington will be “all business” out on the course, he and his family will then be staying in Rio to take in the action.

“I’m going to head down to Rio on the Sunday night after the Travellers, get down there and hopefully – don’t know if I’ll play a practice round Monday and then Tuesday onwards – get into it,” he said.

“The whole family are going. There are six of us going down there so it’s a big week. I’m staying for the extra week.

“I think so much of the Olympics, I’m going to take a week’s holiday and go to a number of events. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime to really have a great week’s holiday the second week”.

And while his fellow Irish in Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell cited varying reasons in not wishing to head to Rio, Harrington says his wife, Caroline and family, who have rented a house for the fortnight, are going to see as many other Olympic sports as they can.

“Table tennis, gymnastics, diving, velodrome (cycling), boxing, I’m sure I’m missing out on one or two,” he said.

“This is all the second week. So I’m trying to do two things a day the second week.

“It’s really great fun watching all those sports. The Olympics more so, because whenever you’re watching a sport when it means everything to them. The pain of losing is exceptional. The joy of winning, it’s right there on the line.

“I’d watch anything in those circumstances and obviously the Olympics is the pinnacle of it as you get one chance and that’s it.”