A Look at the Career of Up-and-Coming Hall of Famer Padraig Harrington
A Look at the Career of Up-and-Coming Hall of Famer Padraig Harrington
Golf is a sport which has turned out numerous successful champions over the years. Some of the most memorable names include Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Ben Hogan.
This is why it is a true honour for those who are soon to be entered into the prestigious World Golf Hall of Fame.
Padraig Harrington is yet another inductee and this accolade is certainyl well deserved. Let’s take a quick look back at his stellar career to better appreciate why Harrington is a shoo-in.
The Early Years
Padraig Peter Harrington was born on 31 August 1971 in Dublin, Ireland, and it is said that he began golfing at a very early age. Considering the fact that his father played football for Cork, it is not a great surprise that Harrington may have already been destined for greatness. However, his name would not begin circulating around golf circles until when he first won the world-famous Walker Cup in 1995. This would soon be followed by a victory in the 1996 Peugeot Spanish Open (his tenth start on a European tour).
Having said this, many fans might still have been wary about backing him on his long-term greatness. Harrington developed a somewhat strange reputation of always seeming to finish second place. Some wondered if this trend had already begun to signal a flagging career. The good news is that things began to change for the better in the early 2000s.
Coming Into His Own
Heads started to turn immediately after Harrington won seven times from 2000 to 2003, including Tiger Woods’ Target World Challenge. Victory at the 2006 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, followed closely by another victory at the Irish Open, fully cemented his status as a player. It should also be noted that Harrington was the first Irishman to win the Irish Open in more than 25 years; an accolade that was certainly not lost on his fellow countrymen.
Passion and Playing Style
While Harrington’s victories are impressive in and of themselves, Hall of Fame inductees are defined by far more than prowess on the greens alone. He has spoken numerous times about his love for the game, an attitude that would ultimately allow him to quickly recover from injuries that might have very undone many.
Harrington is also a mental player in terms of how he analyses countless variables in order to better understand how to approach each hole.
This unique combination has served to define him throughout the years and while he will be relatively young when he enters the Hall of Fame next year, there is little doubt that he deserves such an award. It is also likely that he will continue to be actively involved in golf for years (and hopefully decades) into the future.
