Padraig Harrington: Irish champion seeking ‘Paddy’ Slam’

April 7, 2009

Like Phil Mickelson before him, golfing success provided Padraig Harrington with the odd moniker: “Best golfer never to win a major.” But just a quickly an errant drive or a shanked wedge can ruin a round, Harrington no longer has the major jinx. 

Like Mickelson, Harrington has now won three majors. In less than two years, beginning with 2007 British Open, the Irish golfer with the quick wit and dry sense of humor has emerged among the small confident corps of players believed capable of remaining on even terms — skill to fan appeal — with Tiger Woods.

And like Woods and his “Tiger Slam, Harrington, the PGA Tour reigning player of the year, has built a strong following with his personality and a media-generated angle, the “Paddy Slam.”

Woods’ designation was the result of his four consecutive major wins during two seasons. Harrington entered this year’s Masters with back-to-back wins in the 2008 in the British Open and the PGA Championship.

Harrington’s ascension to the top level of golf was similar to Mickelson’s fortunes.

Mickelson now has 36 PGA Tour victorious but in the five-year span from 1999-2003, he finished second or third in PGA Tour event six times. He also now shares the record with four second-place finishes in the U.S. Open.

Harrington’s career is even more runner up-plagued lopsided. Before claiming his first major, Harrington finished second four times in European Tour events and second or third in the Order of Merit four times. And he’s also twice finished second in the Players Championship.

The end of Mickelson’s runner-up dilemma included game adjustments and work with golf psychologists. Harrington’s improvements are likely like more the benefits of his upbringing in Ireland,  where golf is a way of life, regardless of weather.

“I just like to play,” said Harrington, 36,  “I was brought up playing bad weather; It’s natural to me. I understand it. I can adapt to it. I don’t have issues with it. But I’d rather play in 80 degrees and no wind. But I understand that other players will find it harder than I do. So I’ll adapt well.

“One of my strengths is to adapt to unusual conditions. By playing in Europe, you play a lot around the world. But being brought up in Ireland, you get a lot of different conditions. You can have a nice summer’s day or you can have a wet and windy day, and you just have to get on with it and adapt. Certainly that’s a trait of mine that has served me well.”

Harrington has stumbled, too. Despite his stocky build and strong appearance, Harrington does have a particularly long driver. Nearly a decade ago, he began an agility and strength workout routine and increased his average distance. He’s also suffered from dehydration in tournaments.

But playing well or not so well, Harrington relishes the challenge of golf, particularly when inclement weather reminds him of his formative years in Ireland.

“As an amateur we used to play a tournament in the west of Ireland,” Harrington recalled. “It was our opening championship of the year and we played it in March. By description it’s in the west of Ireland looking out to the Atlantic Ocean. Next stop would be New York. As you stand there it’s kind of on the sea or kind of on the cliff edge and you can see the weather fronts come in, and the weather used to get so bad that it was close to gale force winds, hailstorms.

“When the real bad winds came in you used to have to huddle into little ravines or whatever or bunkers to protect yourself from the hailstorms. You would be wearing a tee shirt, like a polo neck — you’d wear a vest, a polo neck, a tee shirt, two jumpers and a rain jacket, and you could feel the hailstorms through that, so you had to huddle. Thankfully being a player I got to get in the middle.”

Posted in Golf Tournaments, PGA Tour, Player Profiles