Flashback to August 10 2008, Padraig Harrington had just won the PGA Championship for his third Major Championship win in 14 months. He had reached a career-high ranking of third in the world.
Fast forward to February 2015 and Harrington had slumped to a lowly 297th in the world rankings, largely because of swing changes that didn’t pay off for the Dubliner.
Since that time, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke had joined Harrington as Irish major winners. He was slowly becoming an afterthought in world golf. However, he never lost belief that he would one day reclaim the form that helped him become one of the best in the world. Critics had written Harrington off, but he kept trying, wanting to prove that there was a method to his madness.
Constant missed cuts led to ‘Paddy’ losing his PGA Tour card at the end of last season. He was playing purely on sponsors’ invites and his past-champion status on the PGA Tour.
This week the PGA Tour stopped off for the Honda Classic at PGA National. Harrington had previous success in the event, winning it ten years ago. Weather delays made the already brutally difficult course even more challenging for the world’s best players, with the halfway cut claiming Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson as it’s victims.
Harrington was the 36 hole leader, ahead of the likes of Ian Poulter and Patrick Reed. He shot a one-over par 71 to wind up two shots behind Poulter entering the final round. Harrington had a bogey and a double bogey in the opening seven holes before play was suspended due to darkness. This proved to be a blessing in the disguise for the Irishman.
He returned to the course on Monday morning and flourished in the early stages birdieing four holes in a row, to grab a hold of the lead, as Poulter struggled. By the time Harrington reached the 17th hole, he was one shot clear of clubhouse leader Daniel Berger who posted a fantastic 64. Two pars would have been enough to seal the win for the Dubliner, but he pushed his tee shot on the par-three and found the water.
It proved costly and he posted a double bogey which left him needing a birdie on the par-5 18th to force a playoff with Tour rookie Berger. He found the bunker off the tee which forced him to lay up.
Most players in the same vein of form as Harrington would have cracked under the pressure, but he calmly laid up and knocked his third shot onto the green 15 feet from the hole. With the golfing world watching on, Harrington rolled in the birdie putt to earn his place in the playoff with Berger.
They returned to the 18th where both players exchanged pars, which meant they headed to the dreaded 17th. Berger birdied the hole in regulation, but the roles were reversed in the playoff. Harrington stitched his tee shot to five feet and the young American found the water, confirming his first Tour win in six and a half year.
Credit must be given to the Dubliner, for his constant positivity and his refusal to give up even when everyone had written him off. This win shows that he is still capable of mixing with the world’s best and will hopefully spark a resurgence in his career. It will also give hope to the likes of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson that better things are around the corner and is testament to the fact that persistence pays off.
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