Paul McGinley believes Jon Rahm's Lahinch triumph can be the platform for his first major title celebration in just 12 days time.
The first thing Irish Open host McGinley allowed himself to do when the golf was over on Sunday evening was allow himself to take a "big, deep breath" as he reflected on the success of a memorable week in west Clare.
The tournament got a fitting winner in Rahm, the charismatic 24-year-old from Spain who said afterwards that he wants to emulate compatriot Seve Ballesteros by winning the Waterford Crystal trophy for a third time.
With Rory McIlroy sitting it out because of his desire to have his preparation just right for The Open's historic Portrush return, Rahm took advantage as the highest-ranked player in the field.
The world's number 11 stormed through to win with weekend rounds of 64 and 62.
His scintillating charge made for riveting viewing and, having recently tied for third in the US Open and with 11 top 10s to his name this year, Rahm believes he has developed the consistency and maturity to challenge for major titles.
That is surely the next step for him, and McGinley agrees.
"I want an Irish guy to win Portrush, whoever that may be, whether he was playing here or not," he said, careful not to create any more headlines regarding McIlroy's decision.
"That's my first choice. And my second choice would be a player who played in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. Honestly, that's how I would see it.
"I've been saying on TV for the last year or so, of all the young guys coming through in the world and there's lots of talent, Jon Rahm is the one who I don't see having a weakness.
"It's just about having more experience. He drives the ball long and straight. His iron play, his chipping, his putting, his heart, his ability to win, his ability to do an extra gear on Sunday when he saw the finishing line...
"The last six holes were playing quite tricky. Outside of 18, the other holes were playing tricky. They were all in the top nine of most difficult holes on the course.
"Outside of 13 and 18, it was a relatively tough finish and he just pulled away from the field.
"So yeah, he's the guy that I think has got it to be something special.
"Money is obviously not a factor for him anymore. He's probably made enough money at 24 that he doesn't have to worry again and he's very much driven to win titles and major championships.
"He's perfectly set up to go and be prepared and have a good go at winning at Portrush. I don't think it's too dissimilar a golf course from here."
McGinley made it his business to set up Lahinch as similarly as possible to Portrush by following the R&A's guidelines.
Renowned for his attention to detail, the former European Ryder Cup skipper has tried to mirror Portrush in terms of fairway widths and rough length - and even used the same measurements for testing the green firmness and made sure the Lahinch greens were within the same guidelines.
"Hopefully all the players who played here enjoyed a great week, enjoyed the golf course and also feel really prepared for The Open," he concluded.
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