Pádraig Harrington

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Pádraig Harrington
Personal information
Full name Pádraig Harrington
Born 31 August 1971 (1971-08-31) (age 37)
Dublin, Ireland
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 83 kg (183 lb)
Nationality  Ireland
Residence Dublin, Ireland
Career
Turned professional 1995
Current tour(s) European Tour (joined 1996)
PGA Tour (joined 2005)
Professional wins 25
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 5
European Tour 14 (tied 15th all time)
Best results in Major Championships
The Masters T5: 2002, 2008
U.S. Open 5th/T5: 2000, 2006
Open Championship Won: 2007, 2008
PGA Championship Won: 2008
Achievements and awards
European Tour
Order of Merit winner		 2006
European Tour
Player of the Year		 2007, 2008
PGA Player of the Year 2008
PGA Tour
Player of the Year		 2008

Pádraig Harrington (born 31 August 1971) is an Irish professional golfer. He has won three major championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Championship, also in 2008.

Contents

[edit] Background

Harrington was born in Ballyroan, Dublin, Ireland, the youngest of five sons of Patrick and Breda Harrington. His father, "Paddy" (1933-2005), a Garda (Irish police officer) who played Gaelic football for Cork in the 1950s, was also a boxer and hurler, and played to a five handicap in golf.[1]

The Ballyroan Parish is located in Rathfarnham, a middle class area in Dublin's Southside and the birth place of two other touring professional golfers - Paul McGinley and Peter Lawrie. Harrington attended local secondary school Coláiste Éanna at the same time, but not in the same year/class, as McGinley, giving it the unique distinction of having produced two Ryder Cup golfers. Coached by Joseph McGinley, a Golf enthusiast in the school, Harrington's interest and passion for the game spiraled. Rathfarnham is a great golf locality with several clubs on its margins: The Grange, Stackstown, Rathfarnham, Slade Valley, The Castle, and Newlands.

[edit] Career

[edit] European Tour

After a successful amateur career, including winning the Walker Cup with the Great Britain & Ireland team in 1995, Harrington turned professional later that year, joining the European Tour in 1996. Harrington came to professional golf at a relatively late age, having studied accounting and working in the business for a number of years.

His first victory came quickly, in the 1996 Peugeot Spanish Open, but for the next few years the most remarkable thing about his career was the number of times he finished second in European Tour events without ever bettering that position, including four second places in five events in late 1999. However in 2000 he discovered a winning touch, and he had at least one win on the European Tour each year from then up to 2004. He has finished in the top ten on the European Tour's Order of Merit seven times, including second places in 2001 and 2002 and third places in 2003 and 2004 and eventually won the Order of Merit in 2006. Harrington won the European Tour Golfer of the Year award in 2007 and 2008.

Harrington's 2006 European Order of Merit win came after a titanic battle with Paul Casey and David Howell, which was won on the last hole of the last event. Sergio García bogeyed the 72nd hole in the season ending Volvo Masters to give Harrington a share of second place which earned him enough money to leapfrog Paul Casey to 1st place on the Order of Merit.[2]

From around 2000, Harrington appeared with increasing frequency in the U.S. at the majors and World Golf Championships events, and as a sponsor's invitee. He won his first professional event in the U.S. at the Target World Challenge, a non-PGA Tour event hosted by Tiger Woods in 2002. In both 2003 and 2004 he was the runner up in the Players Championship, and in the latter year he won enough money on the PGA Tour as a non-member to earn an invitation to the end of season Tour Championship.

[edit] PGA Tour

He took membership of the PGA Tour in 2005 and in March he won his first PGA Tour official money event at the Honda Classic, where he beat Vijay Singh and Joe Ogilvie in a sudden death playoff. In late June, Harrington snatched the Barclays Classic from Jim Furyk with a spectacular 65-foot eagle putt on the final hole for his second PGA Tour win. Two weeks later his father died from esophageal cancer on 11 July, the Monday night preceding the 2005 Open Championship, forcing Harrington's withdrawal.

Harrington has spent a considerable amount of time both in the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings (250 weeks between 2001 and 2008[3][4]) and as the highest ranked European golfer, his best ranking being third, which he achieved following his second Open Championship victory. He has also played for Europe in five Ryder Cups; losing in 1999 and 2008, but winning in 2002, 2004, and 2006. He has also won the par-3 contest at Augusta National, held the day before The Masters, in 2003 (tie) and 2004.

At the 2007 Open Championship, Harrington defeated Sergio García in a four-hole playoff at Carnoustie, becoming the first Irishman to win The Open Championship in 60 years, and the first ever from the Republic of Ireland. Both players went into the playoff having shot a 7-under 277 for the championship. Harrington subsequently won by one stroke in the playoff.

A year later at the 2008 Open Championship, it was unclear if he would get a chance to defend his Open title at Royal Birkdale as eight days prior to the event he injured his wrist. But Harrington successfully defended his title, overcoming a 2-shot deficit to Greg Norman with a final round 69. He shot a four-under-par 32 on the back nine, which enabled him to pull away from Norman and Ian Poulter. His eagle on the par-5 17th all but sealed the tournament. He is the first European golfer since James Braid in 1906 to retain the Claret Jug. The win moved him from fourteenth to third in the world rankings, behind only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. [5]

Just three weeks after winning the Open Championship, Harrington won the PGA Championship for his third major. Although at five over par after two rounds, he shot eight under par for the weekend, carding successive scores of 66 in the third and fourth rounds. His three under par 277 was two shots ahead of Sergio García and Ben Curtis. Harrington became the first European to win the PGA Championship in 78 years (Tommy Armour in 1930), and is the first winner from Ireland.

Aside from Tiger Woods, who has won consecutive majors three times (2000, 2002, and 2006), Harrington is the first golfer to win two majors in the same year since Mark O'Meara in 1998 and the first to win consecutive majors in the same year since Nick Price in 1994. Furthermore, aside from Woods, he is the first golfer to win three of six consecutive majors in 25 years, since Tom Watson accomplished the feat in 1983, something that only four other players - Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Lee Trevino had previously achieved since the modern "Grand Slam" of four majors began to be recognized in the 1950s.

This latest major win has secured Harrington's position as the number one player in Europe, earning him the number one spot in the European Ryder Cup team under Nick Faldo.

[edit] Coaches

Harrington is coached by Bob Torrance, the father of former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance.

[edit] Personal life

Harrington has known his wife Caroline since childhood. They were married in 1997 and have two sons: Patrick, born in 2003, and Ciarán, born in November 2007.[6] After Harrington's Open win in 2007, Patrick was caught on microphone asking his father if they could 'put ladybirds in it' (referring to the trophy). Following his win in 2008, there were some light-hearted references to this in a subsequent interview, whereupon Harrington suggested that it was more likely that Patrick would now want snails in the trophy.

Harrington is a distant cousin of 1995 World Series of Poker champion and author Dan Harrington and NFL quarterback Joey Harrington.[7]

Harrington's given name "Pádraig" is the Irish Language version of the name Patrick, which is in common usage in Ireland. His four older brothers have Irish names as well (Tadhg, Columb, Fintan, and Fergal).

Harrington's caddy since 2004 is Ronan Flood, who is also his brother-in-law. Flood married Susie Gregan, the sister of Pádraig's wife, in 2007. Flood is a former assistant bank manager who plays to a two handicap, and is the younger brother of one of Harrington's boyhood friends.

After leaving school Padraig mixed amateur golf with studying Accountancy. He passed his final exams in 1994 to gain admittance to ACCA (Association of Certified Chartered Accountants). Strictly, he cannot say he is a member of the ACCA, as he has not gained the practical experience required, although he is examinationally qualified.

[edit] Amateur wins (4)

  • 1991 Sherry Cup
  • 1994 West of Ireland Amateur Championship
  • 1995 Irish Amateur Open Championship, Irish Amateur Close Championship

[edit] Professional wins (25)

[edit] European Tour wins (14)

Legend
Major Championships (3)
Other European Tour (11)
No. Date Tournament Winning Score Margin of
Victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 12 May 1996 Peugeot Spanish Open -16 (70-64-67-71=272) 4 strokes Flag of Scotland Gordon Brand Jnr.
2 2 Apr 2000 Brazil São Paulo 500 Years Open -14 (69-68-65-68=270) 2 strokes Flag of the United States Gerry Norquist
3 22 Oct 2000 BBVA Open Turespaña Masters
Comunidad de Madrid		 -21 (67-64-66-70=267) 2 strokes Flag of Scotland Gary Orr
4 11 Nov 2001 Volvo Masters Andalucia -12 (67-71-66=204) 1 stroke Flag of Ireland Paul McGinley
5 6 Oct 2002 Dunhill Links Championship -19 (66-66-68-69=269) Playoff1 Flag of Argentina Eduardo Romero
6 24 Nov 2002 BMW Asian Open -15 (66-70-68-69=273) 1 stroke Flag of India Jyoti Randhawa
7 18 May 2003 Deutsche Bank - SAP Open TPC of Europe -19 (65-66-70-68=269) Playoff2 Flag of Denmark Thomas Bjørn
8 7 Dec 2003 Omega Hong Kong Open -13 (66-75-64-70=275) 1 stroke Flag of South Africa Hennie Otto
9 12 Sep 2004 Linde German Masters -11 (67-69-67-66=269) 3 strokes Flag of Australia Nick O'Hern
10 8 Oct 2006 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship -17 (66-69-68-68=271) 5 strokes Flag of Wales Bradley Dredge, Flag of the United States Edward Loar,
Flag of England Anthony Wall
11 20 May 2007 Irish Open -5 (73-68-71-71=283) Playoff3 Flag of Wales Bradley Dredge
12 22 Jul 2007 The Open Championship -7 (69-73-68-67=277) Playoff4 Flag of Spain Sergio García
13 20 Jul 2008 The Open Championship +3 (74-68-72-69=283) 4 strokes Flag of England Ian Poulter
14 10 Aug 2008 U.S. PGA Championship -3 (71-74-66-66=277) 2 strokes Flag of Spain Sergio García, Flag of the United States Ben Curtis

1Beat Eduardo Romero with birdie on second extra hole
2Beat Thomas Bjorn with a par on first extra hole
3Beat Bradley Dredge with par on first extra hole
4Shot 15 (3-3-4-5) in a four hole playoff to defeat Sergio García (5-3-4-4=16)

[edit] PGA Tour wins (5)

Legend
Major Championships (3)
Other PGA Tour (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning Score Margin of Victory Runner(s)-up
1 13 Mar 2005 Honda Classic -14 (73-69-69-63=274) Playoff1 Flag of Fiji Vijay Singh, Flag of the United States Joe Ogilvie
2 26 Jun 2005 Barclays Classic -10 (71-65-68-70=274) 1 stroke Flag of the United States Jim Furyk
3 22 Jul 2007 The Open Championship -7 (69-73-68-67=277) Playoff2 Flag of Spain Sergio García
4 20 Jul 2008 The Open Championship +3 (74-68-72-69=283) 4 strokes Flag of England Ian Poulter
5 10 Aug 2008 PGA Championship -3 (71-74-66-66=277) 2 strokes Flag of Spain Sergio García, Flag of the United States Ben Curtis

1Beat Vijay Singh with par on second extra hole (Joe Ogilvie was eliminated on 1st hole when he made bogey)
2Shot 15 (3-3-4-5) in a four hole playoff to defeat Sergio García (5-3-4-4=16) by one shot

[edit] Japan Golf Tour wins (1)

[edit] Other wins (8)

[edit] Major championships

[edit] Wins (3)

Year Championship 54 Holes Winning Score Margin Runner(s)-up
2007 The Open Championship 6 shot deficit -7 (69-73-68-67=277) Playoff1 Flag of Spain Sergio García
2008 The Open Championship (2) 2 shot deficit +3 (74-68-72-69=283) 4 strokes Flag of England Ian Poulter
2008 PGA Championship 3 shot deficit -3 (71-74-66-66=277) 2 strokes Flag of Spain Sergio García, Flag of the United States Ben Curtis

1 Defeated Sergio García in four-hole playoff by 1 stroke: Harrington (3-3-4-5=15), García (5-3-4-4=16)

[edit] Results timeline

Tournament 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
The Masters DNP DNP DNP DNP T19 T27 T5 CUT T13 CUT T27 T7 T5 T35
U.S. Open DNP CUT T32 DNP T5 T30 T8 T10 T31 CUT 5 CUT T36 CUT
The Open Championship T18 T5 CUT 29 T20 T37 T5 T22 CUT DNP CUT 1 1
PGA Championship DNP CUT DNP DNP T58 CUT T17 T29 T45 CUT CUT T42 1

DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied for place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

[edit] Results in World Golf Championship events

Tournament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Accenture Match Play Championship DNP R64 R64 R64 R32 QF R32 QF R32 R32 R64
CA Championship T30 T5 NT1 21 T6 T6 67 T17 T19 DNP T20
Bridgestone Invitational T12 T27 T17 T47 T39 74 T24 T27 T14 T20

1Cancelled due to terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No Tournament
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

[edit] Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

[edit] Awards/Honours

[edit] Equipment

  • Driver: Wilson Staff Smooth
  • Woods: Wilson Staff Fw6 Fairway #5-wood
  • Hybrids: Wilson Staff Fh6 Hybrid (19°)
  • Irons: Wilson Staff Pi7 Irons #3-PW
  • Wedges: Wilson Staff Tw9(54° and 60°)
  • Putter: Odyssey White Hot 2-Ball Blade
  • Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
  • Clothing: Kartel Clothing throughout
  • Shoes: Footjoy

[edit] Facts

  • Harrington is the only player in the world to have been partnered with Tiger Woods in a tournament five or more times and to outscore him. Harrington has a 68.83 average in six rounds, compared with Woods' average score of 69.50. The rest of the world's top players averaged over 70.
  • An oil painting of Padraig Harrington by Irish artist Nuala Holloway is currently on exhibit at the Waldock Gallery in Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
  • In May 2009 he verified that the "Happy Gilmore swing", a swing with a running start, is successful and increased his usual drive of 296 yards by an extra 30 yards.[8]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Paddy's Boy
  2. ^ Europen Tour Order of Merit - 2006 season
  3. ^ 69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking
  4. ^ "Players who have reached the Top Ten in the Official World Golf Ranking since 1986" (PDF). European Tour Official Guide 09 (38th ed.). PGA European Tour. 2009. p. 558. http://www.europeantour.com/default.sps?pagegid={00387D2B-9D40-40B9-B2AC-C46939A8370B}. Retrieved on 2009-01-16. 
  5. ^ Padraig Harrington Retains the Open Championship and Jumps to World Number Three - Official World Golf Ranking, Week 29, 2008
  6. ^ Second son tops off fine year for Padraig - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie
  7. ^ Spousta, Tom (2005-03-03). "Padraig Harrington goes clubbin' in USA". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/2005-03-03-harrington-cover_x.htm. 
  8. ^ Happy Gilmore Was on to Something

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A1draig_Harrington"
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