Pádraig Harrington Has Not Lost His Major Touch
Padraig Harrington hits his tee shot on the third hole during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on Thursday, May 14, 2026 in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America)
There are few things the world of golf likes more than a champion of yesteryear rolling back the years and beating a field that, for the most part, is at least 20 years their junior.
That almost happened at Aronimink Golf Club during the 108th PGA Championship when Pádraig Harrington finished tied for 18th after carding a one-under-par total. It was a monumental effort from the 54-year-old, and there’s reason to believe that this renaissance might not be a one-off, with the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club less than a month away.
Back-to-back birdies for Padraig Harrington 🍀
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 15, 2026
The Irishman moves to two-over and into the mix for a weekend tee time at the U.S. PGA Championship.#PGAChamppic.twitter.com/j3M6id91nQ
The odds still favour the modern stars
Of course, the latest golf betting odds for the 2026 US Open make Harrington a distant outsider at 500/1. Instead, it is Scottie Scheffler at 4/1 and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy at 7/1 who will head to New York as the outright favourites. Stopping them will be no mean feat, but a closer look at Harrington’s time in Pennsylvania for the PGA Championship suggests he had the chance to pull off the seemingly impossible.
Harrington’s missed chances still hinted at something bigger
For all the brilliance Harrington produced across four days in Pennsylvania, he will also know the PGA Championship represented a genuine missed opportunity. The three-time major winner later admitted that his play on the par fives, particularly the ninth, where he played the hole in three over par for the week, left him several shots behind. That mattered even more when considering Harrington ultimately finished just eight shots behind eventual champion Aaron Rai, who closed on nine-under-par.
Yet that lingering frustration may actually strengthen the argument that his performance was no fluke. Major championships are rarely drama-free. They are examinations of patience, emotional control, and the ability to stay mentally engaged when momentum disappears. Harrington still possesses those qualities in abundance.
That became obvious during a remarkable closing stretch on May 17. An audacious eagle on the par-five 16th and a chip-in birdie on the 18th transformed a respectable finish into something far more significant.
Those moments were not driven by nostalgia. They were produced by nerve, imagination, and complete commitment under pressure, which remains the currency of championship golf regardless of age.
Why Shinnecock Hills could suit Harrington perfectly
There was something revealing in Harrington’s own assessment after the tournament. The 2025 Senior Open champion openly suggested that the harder the golf course becomes, the more competitive he feels. It is not difficult to understand why.
Modern professional golf often turns into a power contest when conditions soften, and scoring pushes towards 20-under-par. Harrington no longer overpowers courses in that manner. What he still possesses, however, is elite strategic thinking and one of the sharpest short games of his generation.
That combination becomes increasingly valuable at venues where restraint matters more than aggression. Few courses in world golf demand that discipline quite like Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
When the wind rises across Long Island and the fairways begin to firm up, the US Open stops rewarding pure attacking golf. It becomes a mental examination as much as a technical one. Decision-making, trajectory control, and scrambling suddenly carry enormous importance.
Those conditions may not favour many 54-year-olds. They may, however, give Pádraig Harrington one more chance to believe.
