Pádraig P. Harrington is an Irish
professional golferIn golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
who plays on The European Tour and The PGA Tour. He has won three
major championshipsThe men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
:
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
in
2007The 2007 Open Championship was the 136th Open Championship, played 19-22 July at Carnoustie Golf Links. Pádraig Harrington of Ireland defeated Sergio García of Spain in a playoff to take the title and his first major championship...
and
2008The 2008 Open Championship was the 137th Open Championship, played 17–20 July, at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, England. Pádraig Harrington of Ireland successfully defended his Open Championship title for his second Open title...
and the
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
, also in
2008The 2008 PGA Championship was the 90th PGA Championship played from August 7 through August 10 at the South Course of Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with a purse of $7.5 million. It was the first major championship contested at Oakland Hills in twelve years, since the...
.
Background
Harrington was born in Ballyroan, Dublin, Ireland, the youngest of five sons of Patrick and Breda Harrington. His father,
"Paddy"Paddy Harrington was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Ardgroom in Cork and Garda in Dublin and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team in the 1950s and 1960s. His son, Pádraig Harrington is a professional golfer and has won three major...
(1933–2005), a
Garda, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
(Irish police officer) who played
Gaelic footballGaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
for Cork in the 1950s, was also a
boxerBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and
hurlerHurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
, and played to a five handicap in golf.
The Ballyroan Parish is located in
RathfarnhamRathfarnham or Rathfarnam is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin County Councils.The area of Rathfarnham...
, a middle class area in Dublin's Southside and the birth place of two other touring professional golfers –
Paul McGinleyPaul McGinley is an Irish golfer who plays on the European Tour. He is most famous for holing the winning putt for the European team in the 2002 Ryder Cup. He currently resides in Sunningdale, England....
and
Peter LawriePeter Lawrie is an Irish professional golfer.Lawrie was born in Dublin and educated at University College Dublin where he took up a golf scholarship. He won the 1996 Irish Amateur Closed Championship and turned professional in 1997...
. Harrington attended local secondary school
Coláiste ÉannaColáiste Éanna CBS is a Catholic Secondary School for boys in Ballyroan, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1967 by the Christian Brothers, to serve the needs of Ballyroan and adjacent parishes. It now has over 500 pupils, and a staff of around 50....
at the same time, but not in the same year/class, as McGinley, giving it the unique distinction of having produced two
Ryder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
golfers. Coached by Joseph McGinley, a golf enthusiast in the school, and Mark Hynes, local professional and first caddie, Harrington's interest and passion for the game grew, as the pair recorded their first victory together, in Stackstown G.C.
European Tour
After a successful amateur career, including winning the
Walker CupThe Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
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
accountancyAccountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
at university; he worked in that profession for a number of years while playing high-standard amateur golf. He was unsure whether to turn professional, initially doubting his skills.
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 CaseyPaul Alexander Casey is an English golfer who is a member of the world's top two professional golf tours, the U.S.-based PGA Tour and the European Tour. In 2009 he achieved his highest position, third, in the Official World Golf Rankings....
and
David HowellDavid Alexander Howell is an English professional golfer from Swindon. His career to date peaked in 2006, when he was ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for a short time....
, which was won on the last hole of the last event.
Sergio GarcíaSergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
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 CaseyPaul Alexander Casey is an English golfer who is a member of the world's top two professional golf tours, the U.S.-based PGA Tour and the European Tour. In 2009 he achieved his highest position, third, in the Official World Golf Rankings....
to 1st place on the Order of Merit.
From around 2000, Harrington appeared with increasing frequency in the U.S. at the
majorsThe men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
and
World Golf ChampionshipsThe World Golf Championships are a group of four annual events for male professional golfers created by the International Federation of PGA Tours, with a fifth to be added in 2012...
events, and as a sponsor's invitee. He won his first professional event in the U.S. at the
Target World ChallengeThe Chevron World Challenge is an offseason golf tournament hosted by Tiger Woods, which takes place each December at Sherwood Country Club, a course designed by Jack Nicklaus, in Thousand Oaks, California...
, a non-
PGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
event hosted by
Tiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
in 2002. In both 2003 and 2004 he was the runner up in the
Players ChampionshipThe Players Championship is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour.Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, the inaugural event in 1974 was played at Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia before moving to the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas in 1975 and Inverrary...
, 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.
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 ClassicThe Honda Classic is a PGA Tour golf tournament that is played each March in Florida. It was founded in 1972 as the Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic. In 1981, American Motors backed the tournament. Since 1982, American Honda Motor Co., Inc...
, where he beat
Vijay SinghVijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
and
Joe OgilvieNorman Joseph Ogilvie is an American professional golfer.Ogilvie was born in Lancaster, Ohio and graduated from Duke University. He currently plays on the PGA Tour and picked up his first win on tour at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee in 2007...
in a sudden-death playoff. In late June, Harrington snatched the
Barclays ClassicThe Barclays is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour.The tournament began in 1967 as the Westchester Classic and was played at the Westchester Country Club in Westchester County, New York. Beginning in 1976 it underwent a series of name sponsorships , not unlike other PGA Tour stops...
from
Jim FurykJames Michael Furyk is an American professional golfer, 2010 FedEx Cup champion, and 2010 PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has won one major championship, the 2003 U.S. Open. Furyk is known for consistently playing at the top level and for a visibly unconventional, looping golf swing...
with a spectacular 65 feet (19.8 m) eagle putt on the final hole for his second
PGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
win. Two weeks later his father died from
esophageal cancerEsophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
on 11 July, the Monday night preceding the
2005 Open ChampionshipThe 2005 Open Championship was the 134th Open Championship, played from 14-17 July at The Old Course at St Andrews. Tiger Woods pulled away from Colin Montgomerie for a five shot victory. The win was his second overall and his second at St...
, forcing Harrington's withdrawal.
Harrington has spent a considerable amount of time both in the top ten of the
Official World Golf RankingsThe Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
(over 300 weeks between 2001 and 2010) and achieved his best ranking of third following his second Open Championship victory. He has also played for Europe in six
Ryder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
s; losing in
1999The 33rd Ryder Cup Matches, also known as the "Battle of Brookline", were held between September 24–26 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts....
and
2008The 37th Ryder Cup Matches were held September 19–21, 2008, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Team USA won 16½ - 11½ to end the streak of three successive victories for Team Europe. This was Team USA's largest margin of victory since 1981, and the first time since 1979 the...
, but winning in
2002The 34th Ryder Cup Matches were held between 27–29 September 2002, on the Brabazon Course at The Belfry in Wishaw, Warwickshire, England ....
,
2004The 35th Ryder Cup Matches were held September 17–19 at the Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan.The European team won the competition by a margin of 18½ to 9½ points, the winning putt being made by Colin Montgomerie, who maintained his record of never losing in any of his...
,
2006The 36th Ryder Cup Matches were held 22–24 September 2006 at the K Club, Straffan, Co. Kildare, Ireland. Team Europe won the competition by a score of 18½ to 9½ points, equalling their record winning margin of 2 years earlier. This was the first time Europe had achieved three successive victories...
and
2010The 38th Ryder Cup matches were held 2010 at the Celtic Manor Resort in the city of Newport, Wales. It was the first time the competition was staged in Wales. With the USA as the defending Cup holder the event was played on the newly-constructed Twenty 10 course, specifically designed for the...
. He has also won the par-3 contest at
Augusta NationalAugusta National Golf Club, located in Augusta, Georgia, is a famous men's golf club. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts and designed by Alister MacKenzie on the site of a former indigo plantation, the club opened for play in January 1933. Since 1934, it has played host to the annual...
, held the day before The Masters, in 2003 (tie) and 2004.
Major championship breakthrough
At the
2007 Open ChampionshipThe 2007 Open Championship was the 136th Open Championship, played 19-22 July at Carnoustie Golf Links. Pádraig Harrington of Ireland defeated Sergio García of Spain in a playoff to take the title and his first major championship...
, Harrington defeated
Sergio GarcíaSergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
in a four-hole playoff at
Carnoustie Golf LinksThe Carnoustie Golf Links are in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. Its historic championship golf course is one of the venues in the Open Championship rotation.-History:...
, becoming the first Irishman to win
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
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 ChampionshipThe 2008 Open Championship was the 137th Open Championship, played 17–20 July, at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, England. Pádraig Harrington of Ireland successfully defended his Open Championship title for his second Open title...
, 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 NormanGregory John Norman AO is an Australian professional golfer and entrepreneur who spent 331 weeks as the world's Number 1 ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s...
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 PoulterIan James Poulter is an English professional golfer who is a member of the world's top two professional golf tours, the U.S.-based PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has previously been as high as number five in the world rankings...
. His eagle on the par-5 17th all but sealed the tournament. He is the first European golfer since
James BraidJames Braid was a Scottish professional golfer and a member of the Great Triumvirate of the sport alongside Harry Vardon and John Henry Taylor. He won The Open Championship five times...
in 1906 to retain the Claret Jug. The win moved him from fourteenth to third in the world rankings, behind only
Tiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
and
Phil MickelsonPhilip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
.
Just three weeks after winning the Open Championship, Harrington won the
PGA ChampionshipThe 2008 PGA Championship was the 90th PGA Championship played from August 7 through August 10 at the South Course of Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with a purse of $7.5 million. It was the first major championship contested at Oakland Hills in twelve years, since the...
over the South Course of the
Oakland Hills Country ClubOakland Hills Country Club is a private golf club in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan. It has hosted many prestigious professional golf tournaments throughout its history. The club consists of two 18 hole courses: the South Course and the North Course. The South Course has hosted all...
, for his third
majorThe men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
. 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 GarcíaSergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
and
Ben CurtisBen Clifford Curtis is an American professional golfer best known for winning the 2003 Open Championship.-Early career:Curtis was born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in Ostrander, Ohio. His family runs the , also in Ostrander...
. Harrington became the first European to win the PGA Championship in 78 years (
Tommy ArmourThomas Dickson Armour was a Scottish-American professional golfer. He was nicknamed The Silver Scot.Armour was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and educated at Fettes College and the University of Edinburgh....
in 1930), and is the first winner from Ireland.
Aside from
Tiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
, 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'MearaMark Francis O'Meara is an American professional golfer who was a prolific tournament winner on the PGA Tour and around the world from the mid 1980s to the late 1990s...
in 1998 and the first to win consecutive majors in the same year since
Nick PriceNicholas Raymond Leige Price is a South African-Zimbabwean Professional golfer and an inductee in the World Golf Hall of Fame. In the mid-1990s, Price reached number one in the Official World Golf Rankings.-Background:...
in 1994. Furthermore, aside from Woods, he is the first golfer to win three of six consecutive majors in 25 years, since
Tom WatsonThomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
accomplished the feat in 1983, something that only four other players –
Ben HoganWilliam Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game...
,
Arnold PalmerArnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
,
Jack NicklausJack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
, and
Lee TrevinoLee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:...
had previously achieved since the modern "Grand Slam" of four majors began to be recognized in the 1950s.
Harrington's victory in the PGA Championship secured his position as the number one player in Europe, earning him the number one spot in the 2008 European
Ryder CupThe 37th Ryder Cup Matches were held September 19–21, 2008, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Team USA won 16½ - 11½ to end the streak of three successive victories for Team Europe. This was Team USA's largest margin of victory since 1981, and the first time since 1979 the...
team under captain
Nick FaldoSir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No...
.
2009 to present
Harrington started his 2009 season with a tied-fifth finish in the
Abu Dhabi Golf ChampionshipThe Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is a European Tour golf tournament that was staged for the first time in January 2006. It is played at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club by Sheraton in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates....
on the European Tour. He then went through one of the toughest periods of his career, missing the cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, as well as the Northern Trust Open on the PGA Tour. He finished tied-11th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in what would be one of his better results in the early part of 2009. He arrived at the
2009 Masters TournamentThe 2009 Masters Tournament was the 73rd Masters Tournament held at Augusta National Golf Club and was played from April 9-12. This was the first major championship of the 2009 season.-Field:...
looking for three majors in a row and the so-called "Paddy-Slam". He started with a 3-under-par first round, but eventually faded over the weekend, finishing tied for 35th place. His struggles would continue in the proceeding months, as he would miss the cut at five of his next six events, including The 3 Irish Open and the
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
. It was during this period that he announced that he was working on swing changes with coach Bob Torrance. He arrived at
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
at Turnberry looking to complete a hat-trick of Open wins, a feat that has only been achieved by Peter Thomson. He ended up finishing tied for 65th place. This sparked a great run of form for Harrington. He lead for first three rounds of the
WGC-Bridgestone InvitationalThe WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is one of the annual World Golf Championships for male professional golfers. It is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money is official money on both the PGA Tour and the PGA European Tour...
, which led to a final day head-to-head between himself and World number one
Tiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
. Harrington led by one shot playing the 16th hole, but he racked up a triple-bogey to Wood's birdie and he finished in joint 2nd place. The following week Harrington, the defending champion, played the first two rounds with Woods at the
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
. He shot a first round 68, ending one shot behind the leader Woods. Rounds of 73 and 69 left him two shots behind Woods. He was in contention in the final round, until he made an 8 at the par-3 8th hole. He ended in a tie for 10th. He finished in the top-10 in all four
FedEx CupThe FedEx Cup is a championship trophy for the PGA Tour. Its introduction marked the first time that men's professional golf had a playoff system. Announced in November 2005, it was first awarded in 2007 after a NASCAR-like points race. Bill Haas is the current champion...
playoff events, before further top-10s in Europe and the States before the end of the season. He ended the year ranked number 6 in the world rankings. He ended winless on the European and PGA Tours for the first time since 1999.
Harrington missed the cut in three out of the four majors in 2010. In an inconsistent season, he had five top-10s on the PGA Tour, but also missed six cuts. He was a controversial wild-card pick by European captain
Colin MontgomerieColin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer, often referred to by one of his nicknames 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999, and 31...
for the
2010 Ryder CupThe 38th Ryder Cup matches were held 2010 at the Celtic Manor Resort in the city of Newport, Wales. It was the first time the competition was staged in Wales. With the USA as the defending Cup holder the event was played on the newly-constructed Twenty 10 course, specifically designed for the...
. He won two matches and lost two matches as Europe regained the Ryder Cup. It was his sixth Ryder Cup and fourth time being on the winning team. He won his first tournament in two years at the
Iskandar Johor OpenThe Iskandar Johor Open is a golf tournament held in Malaysia and part of the Asian Tour and European Tour. It was first held in 2007 when it was played at the Royal Johor Country Club in Johor Bahru....
in Malaysia on the
Asian TourThe Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore...
. He finished the year ranked 25th in the world.
Harrington started his 2011 season with an opening round 65, for a first round lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on the European Tour. He was later disqualified before his second round commenced, after a spectator telephoned in and pointed out an incident of his ball moving an exceptionally small distance closer to the hole on the green, while he was replacing his ball marker, during the first round; it had been shown on television. (The incident led to a rules review, and if it were to occur again, would not be a penalty.) It was the second time he had been disqualified in a tournament. So far in 2011 he has had three top-10s and three missed cuts on the PGA Tour. He missed the cut at the Masters Tournament and finished tied for 45th at the
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
. In June 2011, he dropped outside the top 50 in the World Rankings for the first time since 1999.
Coaches
Harrington was coached by Bob Torrance, the father of former Ryder Cup captain
Sam TorranceSam Torrance OBE is a Scottish professional golfer and sports commentator. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1970s to the late 1990s, with 21 Tour wins. Torrance was a member of European Ryder Cup teams on eight occasions, from 1981 to 1995 consecutively; he was...
but since mid July 2011 the pairing have separated.
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. 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 PokerThe World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
champion and author
Dan HarringtonDan Harrington is a professional poker player, best known for winning the main event world championship at the 1995 World Series of Poker. He has earned one World Poker Tour title, two WSOP bracelets, and over six million dollars in tournament cashes in his poker career...
and NFL quarterback
Joey HarringtonJohn Joseph "Joey" Harrington, Jr. is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions third overall in the 2002 NFL Draft, where he played for most of his professional career. He ranks third all-time in Detroit history in pass completions, with 986...
.
Harrington's given name "Pádraig" is the
Irish LanguageIrish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
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 FloodRonan Flood has been the caddy of professional golfer Pádraig Harrington since 2004. He is a former assistant bank manager for AIB and played to a two handicap. He and Harrington have been close friends since childhood and are married to sisters Caroline and Suzie Gregan.-References:...
. Flood married Susie Gregan, the sister of Pádraig's wife, in 2007. Flood is also the younger brother of one of Harrington's childhood friends.
After leaving school, Harrington mixed amateur golf with studying Accounting. He passed his final exams in 1994 to gain admittance to ACCA (
Association of Chartered Certified AccountantsFounded in 1904, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants is the global body for professional accountants offering the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification . it is one of the largest and fastest-growing global accountancy bodies with 147,000 members and 424,000 students in 170...
).
Harrington has undergone laser eye surgery, as did his compatriot
Paul McGinleyPaul McGinley is an Irish golfer who plays on the European Tour. He is most famous for holing the winning putt for the European team in the 2002 Ryder Cup. He currently resides in Sunningdale, England....
, in a bid to improve his game.
Amateur wins (4)
- 1991 Sherry Cup
- 1994 West of Ireland Amateur Championship
- 1995 Irish Amateur Open Championship, Irish Amateur Close Championship
European Tour wins (14)
EWLINE
| 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 |
 Gordon Brand Jnr. |
| 2 |
2 Apr 2000 |
Brazil São Paulo 500 Years Open The Brazil São Paulo 500 Years Open was the second of two golf tournaments that were held in 2000 to commemorate the discovery of Brazil by Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500. They were both included on the schedule of the PGA European Tour, marking the tour's first visit to South America.The tournament...
|
-14 (69–68–65–68=270) |
2 strokes |
 Gerry NorquistGerry Norquist is and American professional golfer.Norquist was born in Portland, Oregon and turned professional relatively late at the age of 26. He played most of his tournament golf in Asia, predominantly on the Asian Tour where he won five titles, and later on the Japan Golf Tour...
|
| 3 |
22 Oct 2000 |
BBVA Open Turespaña Masters
Comunidad de Madrid |
-21 (67–64–66–70=267) |
2 strokes |
Gary Orr Gary Hamish Orr is a Scottish professional golfer.Orr was born in Helensburgh, Scotland. He turned professional in 1988 and became a member of the European Tour in 1993. His two wins on the Tour both came in 2000, at the Algarve Portuguese Open and the Victor Chandler British Masters...
|
| 4 |
11 Nov 2001 |
Volvo Masters Andalucia |
-12 (67–71–66=204) |
1 stroke |
Paul McGinley Paul McGinley is an Irish golfer who plays on the European Tour. He is most famous for holing the winning putt for the European team in the 2002 Ryder Cup. He currently resides in Sunningdale, England....
|
| 5 |
6 Oct 2002 |
Dunhill Links Championship The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, is one of the richest golf tournaments on the European Tour. It is played in October, on three different links courses, centred around the "home of golf", St Andrews in Fife, Scotland....
|
-19 (66–66–68–69=269) |
Playoff1 |
 Eduardo RomeroEduardo Alejandro Romero is an Argentine professional golfer.Romero was born in Córdoba. He turned professional in 1982 at a relatively advanced age...
|
| 6 |
24 Nov 2002 |
BMW Asian Open The BMW Asian Open was a men's professional golf tournament that was co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour. The event was founded in 2001, as part of the European Tour's drive to expand into Asia, and China in particular....
|
-15 (66–70–68–69=273) |
1 stroke |
 Jyoti RandhawaJyoti Singh Randhawa is an Indian professional golfer who was ranked in the top 100 of the world and is the third-highest Indian in the world rankings.-Career:...
|
| 7 |
18 May 2003 |
Deutsche Bank - SAP Open TPC of Europe |
-19 (65–66–70–68=269) |
Playoff2 |
 Thomas BjørnThomas Bjørn is a professional golfer from Denmark who plays on the European Tour. He is the most successful Danish golfer to have played the game having won thirteen tournaments worldwide on the European Tour. In 1999 he also became the first Dane to qualify for a European Ryder Cup team...
|
| 8 |
7 Dec 2003 |
Omega Hong Kong Open |
-13 (66–75–64–70=275) |
1 stroke |
 Hennie OttoHendrik Johannes "Hennie" Otto is a South African professional golfer.Otto was born in Boksburg. He has played golf on the European Tour since 2000 having graduated from the Challenge Tour, but has only finished within the top 100 on the Order of Merit twice, in 2003 when he finished tied for...
|
| 9 |
12 Sep 2004 |
Linde German Masters |
-11 (67–69–67–66=269) |
3 strokes |
 Nick O'HernNicholas Simon O'Hern is an Australian professional golfer.O'Hern has played on both of the world's premier professional golf tours, the European Tour, and the United States based PGA Tour...
|
| 10 |
8 Oct 2006 |
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship |
-17 (66–69–68–68=271) |
5 strokes |
 Bradley DredgeBradley Dredge is a Welsh professional golfer.Dredge was born in Tredegar. He turned professional in 1996.Dredge attempted to gain his card on the European Tour via the qualifying school in 1995 and 1996, the second time doing sufficiently well to gain a place on the Challenge Tour for 1997...
, Edward Loar,
 Anthony WallAnthony David Wall is an English professional golfer.Wall was born in London. He turned professional in 1995 and has played on the European Tour since 1998. He has made the top 100 on the Order of Merit every season since his rookie year. His only European Tour win to date came at the 2000 Alfred...
|
| 11 |
20 May 2007 The 2007 European Tour was the 36th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2007 season consisted of 52 official money events, breaking the record of the previous year. This included seven major championships and World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the...
|
Irish Open The Irish Open is a professional golf tournament on the European Tour, currently played at the end of July or early August each year. The event has been played in many locations on the island; its current home is the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club in County Kerry in southwestern Ireland...
|
-5 (73–68–71–71=283) |
Playoff3 |
Bradley Dredge Bradley Dredge is a Welsh professional golfer.Dredge was born in Tredegar. He turned professional in 1996.Dredge attempted to gain his card on the European Tour via the qualifying school in 1995 and 1996, the second time doing sufficiently well to gain a place on the Challenge Tour for 1997...
|
| 12 |
22 Jul 2007 The 2007 European Tour was the 36th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2007 season consisted of 52 official money events, breaking the record of the previous year. This included seven major championships and World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the...
|
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
-7 (69–73–68–67=277) |
Playoff4 |
 Sergio GarcíaSergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
|
| 13 |
20 Jul 2008 The 2008 European Tour was the 37th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2008 season consisted of 50 official money events, a drop of two from the previous year. This included seven major championships and World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the PGA...
|
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
+3 (74–68–72–69=283) |
4 strokes |
Ian Poulter Ian James Poulter is an English professional golfer who is a member of the world's top two professional golf tours, the U.S.-based PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has previously been as high as number five in the world rankings...
|
| 14 |
10 Aug 2008 The 2008 European Tour was the 37th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2008 season consisted of 50 official money events, a drop of two from the previous year. This included seven major championships and World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the PGA...
|
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
|
-3 (71–74–66–66=277) |
2 strokes |
Sergio GarcíaSergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
, Ben CurtisBen Clifford Curtis is an American professional golfer best known for winning the 2003 Open Championship.-Early career:Curtis was born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in Ostrander, Ohio. His family runs the , also in Ostrander...
|
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)
PGA Tour wins (5)
EWLINE
| Legend |
| Major championships (3) |
| Other PGA Tour (2) |
|
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 |
13 Mar 2005 -Awards:*PGA Player of the Year: Tiger Woods*PGA Tour Player of the Year : Tiger Woods*PGA Tour Money Winner : Tiger Woods*Vardon Trophy: Tiger Woods*Byron Nelson Award: Tiger Woods*Rookie of the Year: Sean O'Hair...
|
Honda Classic The Honda Classic is a PGA Tour golf tournament that is played each March in Florida. It was founded in 1972 as the Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic. In 1981, American Motors backed the tournament. Since 1982, American Honda Motor Co., Inc...
|
-14 (73–69–69–63=274) |
Playoff |
 Vijay SinghVijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
, Joe OgilvieNorman Joseph Ogilvie is an American professional golfer.Ogilvie was born in Lancaster, Ohio and graduated from Duke University. He currently plays on the PGA Tour and picked up his first win on tour at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee in 2007...
|
| 2 |
26 Jun 2005 -Awards:*PGA Player of the Year: Tiger Woods*PGA Tour Player of the Year : Tiger Woods*PGA Tour Money Winner : Tiger Woods*Vardon Trophy: Tiger Woods*Byron Nelson Award: Tiger Woods*Rookie of the Year: Sean O'Hair...
|
Barclays Classic The Barclays is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour.The tournament began in 1967 as the Westchester Classic and was played at the Westchester Country Club in Westchester County, New York. Beginning in 1976 it underwent a series of name sponsorships , not unlike other PGA Tour stops...
|
-10 (71–65–68–70=274) |
1 stroke |
Jim FurykJames Michael Furyk is an American professional golfer, 2010 FedEx Cup champion, and 2010 PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has won one major championship, the 2003 U.S. Open. Furyk is known for consistently playing at the top level and for a visibly unconventional, looping golf swing...
|
| 3 |
22 Jul 2007 The 2007 PGA Tour season ran from January 4, 2007 to November 4, 2007. The season consisted of 47 official money events. This included four major championships and three World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the European Tour. There were also five unofficial events played in...
|
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
-7 (69–73–68–67=277) |
Playoff |
Sergio GarcíaSergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
|
| 4 |
20 Jul 2008 The 2008 PGA Tour season ran from January 3 to November 9. The season consisted of 49 official money events. This included four major championships and three World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the European Tour. There were also five unofficial events played in November and...
|
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
+3 (74–68–72–69=283) |
4 strokes |
Ian Poulter Ian James Poulter is an English professional golfer who is a member of the world's top two professional golf tours, the U.S.-based PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has previously been as high as number five in the world rankings...
|
| 5 |
10 Aug 2008 The 2008 PGA Tour season ran from January 3 to November 9. The season consisted of 49 official money events. This included four major championships and three World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the European Tour. There were also five unofficial events played in November and...
|
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
|
-3 (71–74–66–66=277) |
2 strokes |
Sergio GarcíaSergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
, Ben CurtisBen Clifford Curtis is an American professional golfer best known for winning the 2003 Open Championship.-Early career:Curtis was born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in Ostrander, Ohio. His family runs the , also in Ostrander...
|
PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 |
2004 |
Buick Classic |
Sergio GarcíaSergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
, Rory SabbatiniRory Mario Trevor Sabbatini is a South African professional golfer.Rory Sabbatini was born in Durban, South Africa. He started playing golf at age 4, but concentrated on it from age 12. He was recruited by the University of Arizona, turned professional in 1998 and joined the PGA Tour in 1999...
|
Garcia won with birdie on third extra hole
Harrington eliminated with par on second hole |
| 2 |
2005 |
Honda Classic The Honda Classic is a PGA Tour golf tournament that is played each March in Florida. It was founded in 1972 as the Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic. In 1981, American Motors backed the tournament. Since 1982, American Honda Motor Co., Inc...
|
Joe Ogilvie Norman Joseph Ogilvie is an American professional golfer.Ogilvie was born in Lancaster, Ohio and graduated from Duke University. He currently plays on the PGA Tour and picked up his first win on tour at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee in 2007...
, Vijay SinghVijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
|
Won with par on second extra hole |
| 3 |
2007 |
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
Sergio García |
Won in four-hole playoff (3–3–4–5=15, 5–3–4–4=16) |
Asian Tour wins (3)
- 2002 BMW Asian Open
The BMW Asian Open was a men's professional golf tournament that was co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour. The event was founded in 2001, as part of the European Tour's drive to expand into Asia, and China in particular....
(co-sanctioned with the European Tour)
- 2003 Omega Hong Kong Open (co-sanctioned with the European Tour)
- 2010 Iskandar Johor Open
The Iskandar Johor Open is a golf tournament held in Malaysia and part of the Asian Tour and European Tour. It was first held in 2007 when it was played at the Royal Johor Country Club in Johor Bahru....
Other wins (8)
- 1998 Irish PGA Championship
The Irish PGA Championship is a golf tournament played annually in Ireland since 1907. It is one of the oldest golf tournaments in the world, the oldest in the Emerald Isles, and has been played at many different golf courses in Ireland. It is the marquee event on the PGA Tour of Ireland's...
- 2002 Target World Challenge
The Chevron World Challenge is an offseason golf tournament hosted by Tiger Woods, which takes place each December at Sherwood Country Club, a course designed by Jack Nicklaus, in Thousand Oaks, California...
(unofficial money, PGA Tour-sanctioned event)
- 2004 Irish PGA Championship
The Irish PGA Championship is a golf tournament played annually in Ireland since 1907. It is one of the oldest golf tournaments in the world, the oldest in the Emerald Isles, and has been played at many different golf courses in Ireland. It is the marquee event on the PGA Tour of Ireland's...
- 2005 Irish PGA Championship
The Irish PGA Championship is a golf tournament played annually in Ireland since 1907. It is one of the oldest golf tournaments in the world, the oldest in the Emerald Isles, and has been played at many different golf courses in Ireland. It is the marquee event on the PGA Tour of Ireland's...
- 2007 Irish PGA Championship
The Irish PGA Championship is a golf tournament played annually in Ireland since 1907. It is one of the oldest golf tournaments in the world, the oldest in the Emerald Isles, and has been played at many different golf courses in Ireland. It is the marquee event on the PGA Tour of Ireland's...
, Hassan II TrophyThe Hassan II Trophy , was a friendly football tournament organised by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation that was played in Casablanca. Three editions took place, in 1996, 1998 and 2000. The Moroccan national team competed in each of the three tournaments, along with three invited national...
- 2008 Irish PGA Championship
The Irish PGA Championship is a golf tournament played annually in Ireland since 1907. It is one of the oldest golf tournaments in the world, the oldest in the Emerald Isles, and has been played at many different golf courses in Ireland. It is the marquee event on the PGA Tour of Ireland's...
- 2009 Irish PGA Championship
The Irish PGA Championship is a golf tournament played annually in Ireland since 1907. It is one of the oldest golf tournaments in the world, the oldest in the Emerald Isles, and has been played at many different golf courses in Ireland. It is the marquee event on the PGA Tour of Ireland's...
Wins (3)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
| 2007 The 2007 Open Championship was the 136th Open Championship, played 19-22 July at Carnoustie Golf Links. Pádraig Harrington of Ireland defeated Sergio García of Spain in a playoff to take the title and his first major championship...
|
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
6 shot deficit |
−7 (69–73–68–67=277) |
Playoff1 |
Sergio GarcíaSergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
|
| 2008 The 2008 Open Championship was the 137th Open Championship, played 17–20 July, at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, England. Pádraig Harrington of Ireland successfully defended his Open Championship title for his second Open title...
|
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
(2) |
2 shot deficit |
3 (74–68–72–69=283)
4 strokes |
 Ian PoulterIan James Poulter is an English professional golfer who is a member of the world's top two professional golf tours, the U.S.-based PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has previously been as high as number five in the world rankings...
|
2008The 2008 PGA Championship was the 90th PGA Championship played from August 7 through August 10 at the South Course of Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with a purse of $7.5 million. It was the first major championship contested at Oakland Hills in twelve years, since the...
|
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
|
3 shot deficit |
−3 (71–74–66–66=277) |
2 strokes |
Sergio GarcíaSergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
, Ben CurtisBen Clifford Curtis is an American professional golfer best known for winning the 2003 Open Championship.-Early career:Curtis was born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in Ostrander, Ohio. His family runs the , also in Ostrander...
|
1 Defeated Sergio García in four-hole playoff by 1 stroke: Harrington (3–3–4–5=15), García (5–3–4–4=16)
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
| The Masters |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
DNP |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
DNP |
CUT |
T32 |
DNP |
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
T18 |
T5 |
CUT |
29 |
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
|
DNP |
CUT |
DNP |
DNP |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| The Masters |
T19 |
T27 |
T5 |
CUT |
T13 |
CUT |
T27 |
T7 |
T5 |
T35 |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
T5 |
T30 |
T8 |
T10 |
T31 |
CUT |
5 |
CUT |
T36 |
CUT |
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
T20 |
T37 |
T5 |
T22 |
CUT |
DNP |
CUT |
1 |
1 |
T65 |
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
|
T58 |
DNP |
T17 |
T29 |
T45 |
CUT |
CUT |
T42 |
1 |
T10 |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 |
| The Masters |
CUT |
CUT |
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
|
T22 |
T45 |
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
|
CUT |
CUT |
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
|
CUT |
T64 |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied for place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Summary
- Starts – 53
- Wins – 3
- 2nd place finishes – 0
- Top 3 finishes – 3
- Top 5 finishes – 9
- Top 10 finishes – 13
- Longest streak of top-10s in majors – 3
Results in World Golf Championship events
| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Accenture Match Play Championship The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is one of the annual World Golf Championships. It is a knockout event and is staged in January or February each year...
|
DNP |
R64 |
R64 |
R64 |
R32 |
QF |
R32 |
QF |
R32 |
R32 |
| Cadillac Championship |
T30 |
T5 |
NT1 |
21 |
T6 |
T6 |
67 |
T17 |
T19 |
DNP |
| Bridgestone Invitational The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is one of the annual World Golf Championships for male professional golfers. It is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money is official money on both the PGA Tour and the PGA European Tour...
|
T12 |
T27 |
T17 |
T47 |
T39 |
74 |
T24 |
T27 |
T14 |
T20 |
| Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Accenture Match Play Championship The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is one of the annual World Golf Championships. It is a knockout event and is staged in January or February each year...
|
R64 |
R64 |
R64 |
| Cadillac Championship |
T20 |
T3 |
T10 |
| Bridgestone Invitational The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is one of the annual World Golf Championships for male professional golfers. It is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money is official money on both the PGA Tour and the PGA European Tour...
|
T2 |
T9 |
T59 |
| HSBC Champions |
T25 |
T16 |
DNP |
1Cancelled due to
terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No Tournament
Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
Team appearances
Amateur
- Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
: 1991, 1993, 1995 (winners)
Professional
- Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
(representing Europe): 1999The 33rd Ryder Cup Matches, also known as the "Battle of Brookline", were held between September 24–26 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts....
, 2002The 34th Ryder Cup Matches were held between 27–29 September 2002, on the Brabazon Course at The Belfry in Wishaw, Warwickshire, England ....
(winners), 2004The 35th Ryder Cup Matches were held September 17–19 at the Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan.The European team won the competition by a margin of 18½ to 9½ points, the winning putt being made by Colin Montgomerie, who maintained his record of never losing in any of his...
(winners), 2006The 36th Ryder Cup Matches were held 22–24 September 2006 at the K Club, Straffan, Co. Kildare, Ireland. Team Europe won the competition by a score of 18½ to 9½ points, equalling their record winning margin of 2 years earlier. This was the first time Europe had achieved three successive victories...
(winners), 2008The 37th Ryder Cup Matches were held September 19–21, 2008, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Team USA won 16½ - 11½ to end the streak of three successive victories for Team Europe. This was Team USA's largest margin of victory since 1981, and the first time since 1979 the...
, 2010The 38th Ryder Cup matches were held 2010 at the Celtic Manor Resort in the city of Newport, Wales. It was the first time the competition was staged in Wales. With the USA as the defending Cup holder the event was played on the newly-constructed Twenty 10 course, specifically designed for the...
(winners)
- Record: 25 matches, 10.5 points (x% Point Percentage)
- All Formats(W-L-H): 9–13–3 = 10.5pts
- Singles: 3–3–0 = 3pts
- 2004: beat Jay Haas
Jay Dean Haas is an American professional golfer.Haas was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Belleville, Illinois. He attended Wake Forest University and was a member of the NCAA Championship team of the middle 1970s with Curtis Strange and Bob Byman that Golf World has called "the...
1h
- 2002: beat Mark Calcavecchia
Mark John Calcavecchia is an American professional golfer and a former PGA Tour member. During his professional career, he has won thirteen PGA Tour events, including the 1989 Open Championship. Calcavecchia currently plays on the Champions Tour.-Early years:Calcavecchia was born in Laurel,...
5&4
- 1999: beat Mark O'Meara
Mark Francis O'Meara is an American professional golfer who was a prolific tournament winner on the PGA Tour and around the world from the mid 1980s to the late 1990s...
1h
- Foursomes: 4–4–3 = 5.5pts
- 2010: Harrington/Fisher
Ross Daniel Fisher is an English professional golfer, who plays on the European Tour.Fisher was born in Ascot, Berkshire. His home course is the famous Wentworth Golf Club, Surrey, England, location of the European Tour administrative headquarters. As a child, he attended Charters School, a state...
bt FurykJames Michael Furyk is an American professional golfer, 2010 FedEx Cup champion, and 2010 PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has won one major championship, the 2003 U.S. Open. Furyk is known for consistently playing at the top level and for a visibly unconventional, looping golf swing...
/D.JohnsonDustin Hunter Johnson is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. He is one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour having been third in the driving distance stats for three consecutive years between 2009-2011....
2&1
- 2010: Harrington/Fisher bt Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
/D.Johnson 3&2
- 2004: Harrington/Montgomerie
Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer, often referred to by one of his nicknames 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999, and 31...
bt Love IIIDavis Milton Love III is an American professional golfer.Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 1985. He earned his PGA Tour card in the fall of 1985, on his first attempt. He quickly established himself on the PGA...
/FunkFrederick Funk is an American professional golfer.Funk was born in Takoma Park, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1980 with a degree in law enforcement. He turned professional in 1981, but worked as a golf coach at his alma mater from 1982 to 1988; he did not...
4&2
- 2004: Harrington/McGinley
Paul McGinley is an Irish golfer who plays on the European Tour. He is most famous for holing the winning putt for the European team in the 2002 Ryder Cup. He currently resides in Sunningdale, England....
bt Love III/WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
4&3
- Fourballs: 2–6–0 = 2pts
- 2004: Harrington/Montgomerie bt Woods/Mickelson 2&1
- 2002: Harrington/Montgomerie bt Mickelson/Toms
David Wayne Toms is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He has won a total of thirteen events on the PGA Tour including the 2001 PGA Championship...
2&1
- Alfred Dunhill Cup
The Alfred Dunhill Cup was a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000. It was for three man teams of professional golfers, one team representing each country, and was promoted as the "World Team Championship". It was a "special approved event" on the European Tour, which means that it was...
(representing Ireland): 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
- World Cup (representing Ireland): 1996, 1997 (winner with Paul McGinley
Paul McGinley is an Irish golfer who plays on the European Tour. He is most famous for holing the winning putt for the European team in the 2002 Ryder Cup. He currently resides in Sunningdale, England....
), 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
- Seve Trophy
The Seve Trophy is a biennial golf tournament between teams of professional male golfers representing Great Britain & Ireland and Continental Europe. It is named after five times major winner Seve Ballesteros, the most successful golfer ever from Continental Europe who was one of the key...
(representing GB & Ireland): 2000, 2002 (winners), 2003 (winners), 2005The 2005 Seve Trophy took place between 22-25 September at Wynyard Golf Club, in North East England. The team captain for Great Britain and Ireland was Colin Montgomerie, with the captain for Continental Europe being José María Olazábal. The overall tournament host was Seve Ballesteros as he was...
(winners)
Awards/Honours
- International:
- 2006:
- European Tour Order of Merit
- 2007:
- European Tour Player of the Year
- Association of Golf Writers Player of the Year
- 2008:
- PGA Player of the Year
- PGA Tour Player of the Year Award
- European Tour Player of the Year
- Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA) Player of the Year
- Association of Golf Writers Player of the Year
- European Tour Shot of the Year
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
– 5w on 71st Hole in Open Championship
- National:
- 1996 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award
- 1999 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award
- 2001 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award
- 2002 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award, RTÉ Sports Person of the Year
The RTÉ Sports Person of the Year is an important all-sport award in Irish sport. The accolade is given to one sportsman or sportswoman, usually Irish, every year. The winner of the award is decided by a panel of experts who choose a winner from a shortlist of candidates towards the end of the...
- 2004 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award (shared with Darren Clarke
Darren Christopher Clarke is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the European Tour and has previously played on the PGA Tour. He has won 22 tournaments worldwide on a number of golf's main tours including the European Tour, the PGA Tour, the Sunshine Tour and the...
& Paul McGinleyPaul McGinley is an Irish golfer who plays on the European Tour. He is most famous for holing the winning putt for the European team in the 2002 Ryder Cup. He currently resides in Sunningdale, England....
)
- 2005 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award
- 2006 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award
- 2007 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award, RTÉ Sports Person of the Year
The RTÉ Sports Person of the Year is an important all-sport award in Irish sport. The accolade is given to one sportsman or sportswoman, usually Irish, every year. The winner of the award is decided by a panel of experts who choose a winner from a shortlist of candidates towards the end of the...
- 2008 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award, Irish Golf Writers Professional of the Year Award, RTÉ Sports Person of the Year
The RTÉ Sports Person of the Year is an important all-sport award in Irish sport. The accolade is given to one sportsman or sportswoman, usually Irish, every year. The winner of the award is decided by a panel of experts who choose a winner from a shortlist of candidates towards the end of the...
Equipment
- Driver: Taylor Made R9 Driver
- Woods: Wilson Staff Fw6 Fairway 5-wood
- Hybrids: Wilson Staff Fh6 Hybrid (19°)
- Irons: Wilson Staff FG Tour 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
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.
- In May 2009 he verified that the "Happy Gilmore
Happy Gilmore is a 1996 sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and produced by Robert Simonds for Universal Studios. It stars Adam Sandler as the title character, an unsuccessful ice hockey player who discovers a talent for golf. The screenplay was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy...
swing", a swing with a running start, is successful and increased his usual drive of 296 yards by an extra 30 yards.
- Harrington is the official golfer for FTI Consulting
See also
- Golfers with most major championship wins
- Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
This is a list of golfers who have won five or more official money events on the PGA Tour.Players under 50 years of age are shown in bold. On his 50th birthday a golfer becomes eligible to compete on the Champions Tour, and he is unlikely to add to his tally of PGA Tour wins after that date This is...
- Golfers with most European Tour wins
This is a list of golfers who have won eight or more events on the European Tour since it was established in 1972. There are some complications in preparing such a list, and different publications have produced different numbers...
- List of European Ryder Cup golfers
- List of people on stamps of Ireland
External links