PADRAIG HARRINGTON
The Irishman has endured a series of incredible highs and lows on the course since he claimed the Auld Claret Jug in 2007. Here, he reflects on how he tamed Carnoustie and how it ultimately proved to be the turning point of his career.
Eleven years have passed since the Irishman claimed The Open at Carnoustie. We sat down with him to learn how it became the turning point of his career.
At 46 years of age and struggling to pull up any more trees, Padraig Harrington now often finds himself looking back rather than forwards. But with an illustrious 22-year career yielding three majors, 12 European Tour wins, three PGA Tour victories and six Ryder Cup appearances, it’s not hard to see why he aords himself the luxury of reminiscing. Certainly, the Irishman sits in with the legends of the game. Though sometimes it is easy to forget his ascension into golf’s history books was kick-started by the tense Open Championship victory in 2007 at Carnoustie, the setting for this year’s oldest major. With very fond memories, Harrington recollects that week when his career suddenly skyrocketed to new heights. “When I holed that winning putt on the fourth play-o hole it was a little surreal,” Harrington says. “I asked myself ‘have I actually done it?’. Yes, it was a dream come true but there was a huge sense of relief. This was what I needed to do for myself. “If I hadn’t won a major in my career it would have been hugely disappointing. Going into 2007, I was being touted as one of the best players not to win a major. With that win, I had finally done it and my standing in golf had changed forever.” As he mentions the play-o you should begin to recall that victory was not plain sailing for Harrington, even though it really ought to have been. Heading to the final hole of regulation play he only needed a par or, as it turned out, a bogey to win The Open. But the Dubliner contrived to make a double-bogey six, which allowed Spaniard Sergio Garcia, who had led for the first three rounds, to force a nail-biting play-o. Most golfers in that situation, with a major title having seemingly slipped through their hands, would be completely dejected and in a muddle mentally. So how did Harrington manage to regain his composure and belief to go and play four more holes? “There was a lot going through my mind,” Harrington said. “When I tapped in for six on the final hole, I felt like I had lost and was in despair. I thought I had thrown it away. But as I walked o the green, Patrick, my four-year-old son at the time, ran towards me and jumped into my arms. It was so important because I got this distinct sense from him that in his eyes I was a champion and not a loser. This changed my mind-set entirely ahead of the play-o and helped me to go on and win.” Eleven years on, Harrington will arrive at Carnoustie a very dierent player to the one who won his first major. Today he is in the twilight of his career hoping to rekindle past glories, but back then, Harrington was at the peak of his powers and in terrific form, having won his national Open only two months earlier. However, at the same time, although he may not be the force he once was, he has not forgotten the formula needed to win in the small Scottish seaside town, as he begins planning for his return to the 168-year-old course. “Carnoustie is not a tricky golf course,” Harrington said. “It’s a solid one which rewards great ball striking. You could say that you need to avoid the treacherous bunkers at all costs, because there is no way you can reach the green from any of them. “But, on the other side, you can’t lay up and be too defensive o the tee as, ultimately, you will find it hard to reach the green. That means you just have to play extremely well and hit your spots on the fairway. That’s what I did in 2007.” In fact, after Carnoustie, Harrington went on to
SOMETIMES, WHEN I’M AT HOME, I LOOK AT OTHER GREAT PLAYERS, WHO HAVEN’T WON THREE MAJORS, AND THE ENORMITY OF WHAT I’VE ACHIEVED SUDDENLY HITS ME. – PADRAIG HARRINGTON
hit a lot more spots in the following 13 months as he added two more majors to his CV – retaining the Claret Jug the following year at Royal Birkdale and winning the US PGA Championship in Detroit, four weeks later. Harrington, who is at peace with what he has accomplished, notes that his mental approach was the key to success but also pays homage to the great start he had to his European career, which saw three top 10s and a Spanish Open win within his first eight events. “I get more satisfaction now than I did at the time,” Harrington said. “You realise how hard it is to win a major, especially as the time gets longer since my last one. Sometimes, when I’m at home, I look at other great players, who haven’t won three majors, and the enormity of what I’ve achieved suddenly hits me. “If you want to be a great pro, you definitely need a strong start to help you believe that you belong. Luckily, I got that. I’ve seen many other good golfers get o to a bad start and found it hard, thereon in, to show their quality. For the first 10 years playing professionally I always thought if I took my foot o the pedal this life could all be gone tomorrow. There was a fear there. I’m older now, but, in some ways, I wish I still had that fear as I was motivated by it. “Ultimately, there are a million components that go into success. But I do think it was self-confidence and belief. I never went out there thinking I can’t do this or can’t do that. Sometimes when I spoke to other great Irish golfers they would believe that somebody from Ireland can’t win majors. I didn’t ever think like that.” After claiming the last of his three majors, Harrington rose to a high of No.3 in the world ranking. As mentioned, fighting fit and in the form of his life, the golfing universe looked to be at his feet with most predicting that two or three more majors would follow. All of a sudden, however, a change of swing at the end of 2008, in an eort to improve his game further, led to declining form as he went seven years without a win on the European or PGA Tours. It’s often suggested that the decision to tinker with his swing eectively ended his competitive career. Yet Harrington rejects that notion entirely. “Well, statistically I played my best golf in 2009,” says Harrington, with an air of irritation. “And from tee to green my best golf in 2012. I did lose the putter a bit, but I had got plenty of wins in that period in other countries. “I set myself high standards after the three majors, I accept that, and people like to pull out
statistics following the change of my technique but, at the end of the day, golf is highs and lows. If it wasn’t, the same golfers would be winning for 40 years. It’s hard to keep playing at the top of your game consistently.” For somebody who began playing Gaelic football and did not start fully concentrating on golf until he was 14, Harrington has certainly forged a fantastic career. But, as he points out, his achievements over the years have not come lightly as, in his late teens as an amateur, when he was still not even sure if he was good enough to pursue golf, he had to balance his accountancy studies at night with practice in the afternoon. It was not until he reached 24 when he turned professional that he says his confidence elevated and he began to think he could go far. Being so committed to his game over the last two decades and playing all over the world, you do wonder, though, if he ever feels regret having been away so much from his wife, Caroline, and two sons, Patrick and Ciaran. “Yes, absolutely, it’s the only drawback of my career,” says Harrington, with a little hint of sorrow in his voice. “I’ve talked to older pros about it and they often feel the same. Luckily my two sons have only known the life I live, so it’s not like a businessman suddenly going away for a few days here and there, which can be a lot harder. “I think my family recognise that we have all got a good life out of golf. And the way I try to look at it is that in life nothing is free. There is always a sacrifice. But there’s no doubt that sense of regret is always on my mind.” With his playing career winding down, something else that is surely on his mind is the Ryder Cup and the possibility of being European captain in 2020. As Harrington rightly identifies, it is not an easy role to assume. However, being a European icon and having already served as a vice-captain under the last two captains, Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke – and will be one of five assistant captains to Thomas Bjorn in France later this year – he must be encouraged about his chances. “If I’m honest, yes, I’d love to be Ryder Cup captain,” Harrington said. “I’m at that stage of my career now where it doesn’t look like I can qualify for the team, so I’ve got to start thinking of putting my name in the hat, for sure, but it’s not a foregone conclusion at all. It’s dicult to get selected.” Playing professionally over three dierent decades, it is safe to say, Harrington has seen all there is to see in golf. But with the game innovating to attract new audiences, the Irish stalwart is keen to try out tournaments with dierent formats. For instance, in April, he played alongside compatriot, Shane Lowry, in the Zurich Classic in New Orleans – which the PGA Tour changed to a two-man team event last year. So, with hindsight, what did he make of it? “I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I think the field there told the whole story. Two years ago, the tournament had the worst field on the PGA Tour. But this year it had 10 of the top 14 players in the world, as well as all four of last year’s major champions. And that hasn’t happened for years. “I think golf needs to innovate to prevent the game from being perceived as boring. The way I look at it is that we have the four majors, and they
IF WE GET THE BAD CONDITIONS – REALLY STRONG WINDS – I FEEL LIKE I CAN COPE WITH IT BETTER THAN OTHER PLAYERS. PUT IT THIS WAY IF I AM GOING TO WIN ANOTHER MAJOR, THIS WOULD BE IT.
should be always the traditional 72-holes along with the national opens. But we’re in the entertainment business, so di erent formats should be tested in the other events.” Harrington’s embrace for anything that goes against the norm should hardly come as a surprise considering, as a man of small margins, he once used a spirit level at Augusta to measure the gradient of a slope on one of the greens. Indeed, clearly, he is hugely studious about the game but perhaps that has been his undoing in recent years. Yet, it must be said, his attitude and unshakeable belief in his own ability was undoubtedly the key to his major wins. Hence, as you would expect, when finally asked if he thinks he can win the upcoming Open and what his plans are for the future, his response embodies his optimistic and eccentric character. “Yes, I do think I can win at Carnoustie,” he concludes. “I do have an advantage on links courses. If we get the bad conditions – really strong winds – I feel like I can cope with it better than other players. Put it this way if I am going to win another major, this would be it. “I’m still fascinated by golf. I think I will be involved in golf until my last day. While I’m competitive, I’ll keep playing on the American and European Tours. The next step will be to go onto the Champions Tour. Then, if somebody wants to carry me out at 80 years of age to wave to the crowd at some golf resort around the world, I’ll be there. This is who I am.”