Pádraig Harrington still driven by elite ambition as he approaches 50
Pádraig Harrington may be pushing 50 but, as he sets out in pursuit of another Honda Classic victory this week, he remains as positive and driven as ever
PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON chuckled this week at the recall of his shot that changed the rules of golf and helped secure his first PGA Tour success, 16 years ago. It occurred at the second hole in a play-off for the 2005 Honda Classic when the Dubliner executed a wedge recovery from greenside rough which was so exquisite, a startled Vijay Singh missed a tiddler and gifted Harrington victory.
‘The ball stopped on a dime. It defied physics. Peter Dawson of the R&A saw the shot on TV and told me later that it caused a rule change to the groove rule,’ said Harrington.
That change wasn’t enforced until 2010, by which time Harrington had won three Majors, risen to world number three, and was one of Ireland’s best-known sportspeople.
In 2005, he was 33 and just out of his rookie year on Tour in the United States.
While he’d beaten Tiger Woods in the Target World Challenge, came second twice in The Players, won a bunch of times in Europe, and played in two Ryder Cups, he hadn’t cracked the Tour code.
‘You’d hear commentators like (Paul) Azinger saying, “Oh, he’s not won in the States” and it’s held against you,’ he said.
‘I was in the first and second groups going out with other guys who hadn’t won. But that changes when you win. Suddenly, you’re out with guys who’ve won too, you get TV draws and that makes you play better.’
Harrington hurtled through the field that Florida Sunday with a closing 63.
He had 10 birdies in his first 13 holes and bounced into the play-off on a high against Joe Ogilvie and Singh, who’d lost his World No 1 ranking that week.
‘The guy who has shot under par is the one you want to be on in the play-off because good things are happening to him, not the guy who had been leading and shot level par. He’s played cautious golf and it’s hard to get out of that for a playoff.’
‘It was a big deal to get that win. In hindsight, it was a stepping stone to what followed.’
‘I’d not come from behind like that to win. I thought it was a good week but not a repeatable one. I’d been focused on Friday on making the cut, not winning.
‘Did I know then what was needed to win a Major? No.’
But he soon would.
WORDS OF WISDOM
SCROLL forward to 2015 and Harrington returned to the Sunshine State for the Honda Classic.
It was played at the PGA National, venue for the 1983 Ryder Cup, home of the closing ‘Bear Trap’ and a more demanding track than its neighbour Mirasol, where he’d won 10 years earlier.
While Harrington’s CV was shinier, his game was not where it had been. He’d had zero top-10 finishes in his previous 30 PGA starts, hadn’t won a tournament on US turf since the summer of 2005 and had fallen to 297th in the world.
No one gave him a sniff, yet he was the last man standing after a Monday finish. How?
‘My game was okay tee-to-green, but I was struggling with my putting. Because of the storm delay, we knew we wouldn’t finish on Sunday and when play stopped, I went to the putting green with Bob Rotella. We were there in the dark, just the two of us.’
Harrington has always had faith in Rotella’s words of wisdom. And there, in the cold and dark, something clicked. ‘I found a key to bring with me to the golf course the next day. And it worked.’
Harrington had 11 holes to play when he resumed his final round. He was in ninth place, six shots back of Paul Casey, and trending south. No one gave him a prayer. He did. ‘There were lots of things in my favour. It was windy, which I like, and the greens were soft. The conditions played into my hands, and I made birdies.
‘I was playing in the last match with Patrick Reed and Ian Poulter. We were going head-to head, which
I enjoyed. I didn’t feel like I was under pressure. I was happy to go for it, and take shots on.’
A run of four successive birdies saw Harrington take the lead as he stood on the 17th tee. It was windy and, faced with a treacherous shot across water, he didn’t commit to his five-iron.
A double bogey meant he needed to birdie the last to tie with Daniel Berger. Faced with a 20-footer, left to right, he holed it. This time, his focus was full on.
‘People always say don’t be short when you’ve a putt that has to go in, it’s like they don’t want to be embarrassed. But if a putt runs across the face of the cup, it’s better than the one that runs three or four feet past. It’s about the right putt at the right time.
‘I’ve seen players force a putt to try and win a tournament, and miss the one back. For that putt, I had to step back for a moment and remind myself it was not about not being short. It was about reading the line and making the right stroke.’
EXTRA ENDURANCE
PLAY-OFF triumphs figure largely in Harrington’s success story.
His first wins on both the European Tour (2002) and PGA Tour (2005) came in extra holes, as did the Irish Open and his first Open, both in 2007.
Six years ago, he nailed it. ‘I’m
straight into the play-off which is good. Maybe Daniel Berger was happy to be there, I don’t know. I’ve seen guys get into play-offs and they’re all excited (Costantino Rocco and Jean van de Velde for example at the Open).
‘I don’t see it that way. It’s the next hole of a tournament and you’ve a chance to win.
‘You shake hands firmly, look the guy in the eye, and then try and win. You can’t show weakness.
‘I’d birdied the 18th but it wasn’t over. I brought intensity to the play-off.
‘It was not like I was happy to be there because I holed a putt.
‘I felt that way in Carnoustie, too. It wasn’t like “Ah, this is a bonus to be here”. You can’t relax for a second. On the first hole, I knew Patrick had an advantage as it was a par five.
‘When we came to the second hole, the 17th, I felt this was my time – my chance of winning was on this hole.
‘I didn’t want to go down the 18th again as he’d have the advantage again. I didn’t want to extend the play-off, I wanted to finish it. And I couldn’t do that by playing safe. This was my opportunity and I was going to take it.’
There was a delay on the tee. A buggy made noise, a spectator ambled up behind the green. Harrington waited until he was ready and then, he struck.
‘I took the five iron again and this time there was no second guessing. I committed and it paid off.’
At 49, Harrington returns to the Honda Classic this week for another crack at the Bear Trap, the fearsome four-hole finish.
He’s a bit grizzly himself in years now, even though he looks lean and lithe. He’s made four cuts out of six across two Tours, either side of a Covid-19 disruption and a painful issue with kidney stones.
He was sixth in Dubai and should have been top 20 in Bay Hill last Sunday but for a seven at the 72nd hole.
At some point this year, probably after his Ryder Cup captaincy commitments, he’ll make a call on whom
to play with next season, guys with flat bellies or fat ones.
ADDING TO THE LEGACY
So, where is he now? ‘Physicality-wise, I’m not out of my depth. I can still hit it as long as most guys. I’m also putting better. It’s the average shots I don’t hit consistently well enough.
‘Bay Hill was a better week but it wasn’t good enough to stay out there. Coming 30th (tied 31st), it’s time to move on but it gave me confidence that I can get into contention and compete to win.
‘It was a stepping stone and we’ll see how the next three weeks go. I need more than that.’
That Harrington was competitive in Bay Hill was impressive as his preparation was anything but straightforward.
‘In Puerto Rico, I had stomach cramps. I had to lie down a lot and we thought it might be food poisoning. There was a lot of stress at the time,’ he said. ‘It was still there on the Monday when I went into hospital and they identified it as a kidney stone. Once it passed into my bladder, it found its way out. I didn’t know it was gone until I heard it hit the urinal on the 13th in Bay Hill. That was a good result.’
As he sniffs the Florida air, and recalls a course he rates highly for being both tough and fair, Harrington would love to be on the leaderboard prowl come Sunday.
‘If I can come down the last with a chance to win, and even if I take 10 but I gave myself the chance of winning, then I’ll take that. ‘The key is give yourself more chances, because when that happens, you’ll win. I’ve never been afraid of winning. It’s only about winning.
‘A win over 50 out here would be a nice goal and a bit of a legacy.’
That legacy is already assured but there is room for another chapter or two to be written.