Harrington out of world's Top 200 after 938-week run

Harrington out of world's Top 200 after 938-week run

El Mundo Deportivo reports on Pádraig Harrington's maiden win nearly 18 years ago. 

Just a week shy of 18 years since he soared from 484th to 180th in the world thanks to a his rookie win in the Puegeot Open de España, Pádraig Harrington has now exited the world's Top 200.

The Dubliner, 42, is 206th in the latest world rankings, ending a run of 938 weeks or 17 years, 11 months and 22 days in the top-200 since he came through a 36-hole final day at Madrid's Club de Campo to win his maiden title by four strokes from Gordon Brand Jnr.

Harrington has gone on to win three major championships since that day but with the most recent of his 17 worldwide tournament wins coming in the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia more than three and a half years ago, his fall in the rankings has been steady.

With just one Top-3 finish since the start of 2011, he's in danger of losing his full playing rights on the PGA Tour and barring a win, he will have to pre-qualify for the US Open the day after his next scheduled appearance in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

In other rankings news, Simon Thornton was the only Irish player to make a positive move this week, rising two spots to 308th following his share of 20th with Peter Lawrie in The Championship in Singapore.

Rory McIlroy remained 11th in the world despite finishing tied for eighth in the Wells Fargo Championship with Graeme McDowell, who returns to action for The Players Championship this week, down one place to 15th.

  • 11 Rory McIlroy (-)
  • 15 Graeme McDowell (down 1)
  • 140 Shane Lowry (down 4)
  • 192 Michael Hoey (down 4)
  • 206 Pádraig Harrington (down 10)
  • 308 Simon Thornton (up 2)
  • 310 Darren Clarke (down 10)
  • 339 Damien McGrane (down 1), 
  • 428 Peter Lawrie (-)
  • 431 David Higgins (down 10)
  • 466 Gareth Maybin (down 8)
  • 470 Paul McGinley (down 11) 
  • 584 Gareth Shaw (down 4)
  • 724 Kevin Phelan (down 3) 
  • 744 Alan Dunbar (down 4) 
  • 1020 Niall Kearney (down 4)
  • 1094 Niall Turner (down 5).