Pádraig Harrington will make his 500th DP World Tour appearance at the Qatar Masters and it can be argued that nobody has changed the trajectory of a sport in Ireland more than him. He would be a strong contender to be crowned Ireland’s greatest sportsperson.
Harrington always believed that he would win major championships even if the landscape of Irish golf told him he shouldn’t. Even the pattern of his career suggested that he should park such notions.
Early in his career he was described as the perennial runner up with 29 second place finishes during his first eleven years as a professional including four runner-ups in five starts in 1999.
But Harrington’s career has been one of perseverance and courage and he changed his reputation and will be remembered as the man who changed the course of Irish golf.
When the now 54-year-old finished one shot away from a playoff at the 2002 Open Championship or the 2006 US Open in Winged Foot where he needed three pars for a playoff but finished with three bogeys, few would have predicted the glorious run he would go on. Nor would they have predicted an unprecedented period of glory for Irish golf.
Until 2007 Fred Daly, the champion golfer of 1947, was the last Irishman to deliver major success. But Harrington was a man who broke several droughts in Irish golf.
The 2007 Irish Open is when this sensational run began, edging by Bradley Dredge at the old Adare Manor, the Dubliner became the first home winner of the event since 1982.
At this stage of his career he was already a 2006 European Tour Order of Merit winner and the heartbreaking series of runner-up finishes were over.
As Rory McIlroy put it, Harrington “got the ball rolling.” He was a different animal once he got the taste for victory. He won the first of his Open titles in Carnoustie later in 07 before successfully defending the Claret Jug in 2008 at Royal Birkdale then he went to Oakland Hills and won the US PGA Championship, edging out Sergio Garcia once again.
Three majors in thirteen months. Not only did he create history for Irish golf but he inspired the likes of McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke coming behind him.
McDowell kept the wheel turning in 2010 when he got the better of Tiger Woods and co at Pebble Beach to win the US Open. A year later, McIlroy clinched the first of his five majors with a dominant display at Congressional to ensure America’s national open remained on the island of Ireland.
Then it was the turn of Big Darren who rounded off a fantastic career with a long overdue major title at the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St George’s.
2012 saw McIlroy reign again at the PGA Championship before he emulated Harrington in clinching the Open and PGA titles back to back in 2014. Shane Lowry added the icing on the cake with a home Open Championship triumph at Royal Portrush in 2019.
That brought the curtain down on an unprecedented period of success for Irish golf. Between 2007 and 2019 only the United States of America (40) had achieved more major success than Ireland (11).
Harrington had to overcome a lot of heartache in golf’s big four events but his success opened the floodgates.
The key to any success is having self belief and Harrington had that in abundance. It was something Irish golf didn’t have until he came along. We didn’t win majors, we didn’t really win anything. We played more than our part in Ryder Cup successes but when it came to punching with the heavyweights we just didn’t have the belief to break through.
Bob Rotella talks about contagion – players learn from each other.
Michael Campbell won the US Open in 2005. He was a classic case of a flash in the pan major winner like those who have come before and after him. But his win at Pinehurst was a lightbulb moment for Harrington. It was when he truly believed he could win a major title. He knew he was as good if not better than the New Zealander and it was a simple thought of “why can’t I do that” which triggered something in him.
Two years later everything changed.
Nowadays the veteran loves to pass on his wisdom to the young Irish up and comers but if you think that means he is becoming something of a grandfather figure, think again.
A fourth major, the record for the oldest winner on tour and adding at least another 300 to his almost 800 professional starts to take him into the 1000 club are the fire that burns in his belly.
“I’ve probably played close to 800 tournaments in my career, 30 years as a pro.
“I’m thinking I might have another 300 tournaments in me before I finish up.
“Maybe not 300 on the DP World Tour! At some stage that’s coming to an end, but at the moment I’m happy to be here, out here playing and enjoying it.”
The gritted teeth and tongue sticking out aren’t done yet.