Pádraig Harrington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pádraig Harrington
Harrington at the 2007 Open Championship
Personal information
Full name	Pádraig Peter Harrington
Born	(1971-08-31) 31 August 1971 (age 53) Dublin, County Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	83 kg (183 lb)
Nationality	Ireland
Residence	Dublin, County Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Spouse	Caroline ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	2
Career
Turned professional	1995
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour European Tour PGA Tour Champions
Professional wins	41
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	6
European Tour	15
Japan Golf Tour	1
Asian Tour	4
Champions Tour	9
European Seniors Tour	1
Other	11
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 3)
The Masters Tournament	T5: 2002, 2008
U.S. Open	T4: 2012
The Open Championship	Won: 2007, 2008
PGA Championship	Won: 2008
Achievements and awards
European Tour Order of Merit winner	2006
European Tour Golfer of the Year	2007, 2008
European Tour Players' Player of the Year	2008
PGA Tour Player of the Year	2008
PGA Player of the Year	2008
PGA Tour Champions Rookie of the Year	2022
World Golf Hall of Fame	2024

Pádraig Peter Harrington (born 31 August 1971) is an Irish professional golfer. He plays on the European Tour, PGA Tour, and the PGA Tour Champions. He has won three major golf championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008, and the PGA Championship in 2008.

Pádraig spent more than 300 weeks in the top 10 of the world golf rankings. His highest ranking was third in July 2008. He was also part of six Ryder Cup teams for Europe between 1999 and 2010. In 2024, he was honored by being added to the World Golf Hall of Fame.

About Pádraig Harrington's Early Life

Pádraig Harrington was born in Dublin, Ireland. He is the youngest of five sons. His father, Patrick, was a police officer who also played Gaelic football and was a boxer. He was also a good golfer.

Pádraig grew up in Rathfarnham, an area in Dublin. Two other professional golfers, Paul McGinley and Peter Lawrie, also grew up there. Pádraig and Paul even went to the same school, Coláiste Éanna. This school is special because it produced two future Ryder Cup captains! Pádraig's brothers and father helped him love golf and improve his game at Stackstown G.C.

Pádraig's Professional Golf Journey

Starting on the European Tour (1996–2007)

Pádraig had a great amateur career. He even won the Walker Cup with the Great Britain & Ireland team in 1995. Later that year, he became a professional golfer. He joined the European Tour in 1996. Pádraig started professional golf a bit later than some. He had studied accountancy at university while playing golf. He wasn't sure if he was good enough to turn professional at first.

He won his first tournament quickly, the 1996 Peugeot Spanish Open. This was only his 10th event on the European Tour. For a few years, he often finished second in tournaments. He had four second-place finishes in five events in late 1999. These strong finishes helped him play in his first Ryder Cup in 1999. During this time, he also won the 1998 Irish PGA Championship.

In 2000, Pádraig started winning more. He won two European Tour events: the Brazil São Paulo 500 Years Open and the BBVA Open Turespaña Masters Comunidad de Madrid. These wins helped him finish 7th on the European Tour Order of Merit. In 2001, he won his fourth European Tour event, the Volvo Masters Andalucia. He also had six second-place finishes, which helped him finish second on the Order of Merit.

The year 2002 was also very successful. He won the Dunhill Links Championship in October. He made a birdie on the last hole to get into a playoff and win. This win and nine other top-10 finishes helped him finish second on the Order of Merit again. He also played in his second Ryder Cup in 2002. He won an important point in his match, helping Europe win the cup.

Pádraig kept winning in 2003. He won the BMW Asian Open in November 2002, which was the first event of the 2003 season. He was also invited to and won the 2002 Target World Challenge in the USA. This was his first win in the United States. He also won the Deutsche Bank Players Championship of Europe in May 2003. He finished third on the 2003 European Tour Order of Merit.

He won two more European Tour events in 2004: the Omega Hong Kong Open and the Linde German Masters. He finished 3rd on the Order of Merit that year. This was his fourth year in a row in the top 5. He played in the 2004 Ryder Cup where Europe beat the United States by a very large margin.

In 2005, Pádraig joined the PGA Tour in the USA. This meant he played fewer events on the European Tour. He didn't win any European Tour events that year. In 2006, he won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship again. This was his second win at a links golf course, which was good practice for his future Open Championship wins. After this, he won the 2006 European Tour Order of Merit. He won it on the very last hole of the last event of the season!

In 2007, Pádraig won the Irish Open for the first time. He was the first Irish player to win it in 25 years. He was named European Tour Golfer of the Year in both 2007 and 2008.

Playing on the PGA Tour

Pádraig became a member of the PGA Tour in 2005. In March, he won his first official PGA Tour event, the Honda Classic. He won in a sudden-death playoff. In June, he won the Barclays Classic. He made an amazing 65-foot eagle putt on the last hole to win! Two weeks later, his father passed away. Pádraig had to withdraw from the 2005 Open Championship.

Pádraig was in the world's top 10 for over 300 weeks between 2001 and 2010. His best ranking was third after his second Open Championship win. He has played for Europe in six Ryder Cups. He was on the winning team in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2010. He also won the fun par-3 contest at Augusta National Golf Club three times.

Winning Major Championships

Harrington teeing off at the 2007 Open Championship.

At the 2007 Open Championship, Pádraig beat Sergio García in a four-hole playoff. He became the first Irishman to win The Open Championship in 60 years. He was also the first ever from the Republic of Ireland. Both players had the same score after four rounds. Pádraig won the playoff by one shot.

A year later, at the 2008 Open Championship, it was not certain if he would play. He had injured his wrist just eight days before the event. But Pádraig successfully defended his title! He started two shots behind the leader, Greg Norman. He shot a great final round of 69. He made an eagle on the 17th hole, which almost guaranteed his win. He is the first European golfer since 1906 to win the Claret Jug two years in a row. This win moved him to third in the world rankings.

Just three weeks after winning the Open Championship, Pádraig won the PGA Championship. This was his third major championship win. He was five shots over par after two rounds. But he played incredibly well on the weekend, shooting 66 in both the third and fourth rounds. His final score was three shots under par, two shots ahead of Sergio García and Ben Curtis. Pádraig was the first European to win the PGA Championship in 78 years. He was also the first winner from Ireland.

Pádraig was the first golfer since Mark O'Meara in 1998 to win two majors in the same year. He was also the first to win consecutive majors in the same year since Nick Price in 1994. His PGA Championship win also made him the number one player in Europe. This earned him a spot on the 2008 European Ryder Cup team.

A Challenging Year (2009)

Pádraig started 2009 with a good finish at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. But then he had a tough time, missing many cuts. He hoped to win his third major in a row at the 2009 Masters Tournament. He started well but finished tied for 35th place. His struggles continued, and he missed the cut in five of his next six events. He even missed the U.S. Open. During this time, he was working on changing his golf swing.

At The Open Championship at Turnberry, Pádraig hoped to win for the third time in a row. Only one other golfer had done this since the 1880s. He finished tied for 65th place. At the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, he was playing against the world number one, Tiger Woods. Pádraig was leading by one shot on the 16th hole. But he made a triple-bogey, and Woods made a birdie. Pádraig finished tied for second place. He ended 2009 without a win on the European or PGA Tours. This was his first winless year since 1999.

From 2010 to Today

In 2010, Pádraig missed the cut in three of the four major tournaments. He had an up-and-down season. He was chosen as a wild-card pick for the 2010 Ryder Cup team. He won two matches and lost two, as Europe won the Ryder Cup. This was his sixth Ryder Cup, and his fourth time on the winning team. He won his first tournament in two years at the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia. He ended the year ranked 25th in the world.

In 2011, Pádraig started well at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. He shot a 65 in the first round. But he was later disqualified because his ball moved a tiny bit on the green when he was replacing his marker. This was shown on TV. (This incident later led to a rule change, so it wouldn't be a penalty today.) He missed the cut at the Masters Tournament. In June 2011, he fell out of the world's top 50 for the first time since 1999.

In 2012, Pádraig had a good start at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He finished tied for seventh place. In March, he shot a 61 in the first round of the Transitions Championship. This was a new course record and his lowest-ever round on the PGA Tour. He finished tied for 20th. At the Masters Tournament in April, he finished tied for 8th. This was his first top-10 finish in a major since 2009.

At the 2012 U.S. Open, Pádraig was close to winning his fourth major. He played very well on Sunday. He made five birdies in 11 holes to get within two shots of the lead. He needed a birdie on the last hole. He took a risky shot and ended up in a bunker. He made a bogey and finished tied for fourth place. He later said he thought he needed a birdie to get to one-over-par.

In October 2012, Pádraig won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. He had not won a major that year, but he replaced the Open champion, Ernie Els. Pádraig had difficult years in 2013 and 2014. His world ranking fell to 385. In December 2014, he won the Bank BRI Indonesia Open on the Asian Tour. This was his first official win in four years.

In March 2015, Pádraig won his first title on the European or PGA Tours in seven years. He won the Honda Classic in a playoff. This win qualified him for the Masters again. It also moved him back into the world's top 100. In August 2016, Pádraig played for Ireland at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He finished tied for 21st place. On 23 October 2016, he won the Portugal Masters. This was his first European Tour win since 2008.

On 8 January 2019, Pádraig was chosen as the captain for the 2020 Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup was moved to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. His European team lost to the USA.

In 2022, Pádraig started playing on the PGA Tour Champions, which is for older golfers. He finished second in his first senior major, The Tradition. On 26 June 2022, he won his first senior major, the U.S. Senior Open. He beat Steve Stricker by one shot. In March 2023, it was announced that Pádraig would be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2024.

Pádraig Harrington's Personal Life

Pádraig has known his wife, Caroline, since they were children. They got married in 1997. They have two sons, Patrick (born 2003) and Ciarán (born 2007).

Pádraig's oldest brother, Tadhg, is a professional golf coach. He runs the Harrington Golf Academy in Dublin. Pádraig is also a distant cousin of former NFL quarterback Joey Harrington. He is also related to Dan Harrington, who won the 1995 World Series of Poker.

Pádraig's first name, "Pádraig," is the Irish version of "Patrick." It is a common name in Ireland. His four older brothers also have Irish names. Pádraig's caddy since 2004 is Ronan Flood. Ronan married Susie Gregan, who is Pádraig's wife's sister.

After school, Pádraig played amateur golf and studied accounting. He passed his final exams in 1994 to become an accountant. He also had laser eye surgery to help his game.

Helping Others: Charity Work

Pádraig became a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics in May 2010. This is the world's largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities. He has given golf lessons to Special Olympics athletes and coaches.

Pádraig has also supported the Irish charity Oesophageal Cancer Fund (OCF) since 2006. He lost his father to oesophageal cancer in 2005. He helps promote Lollipop Day, which is a fundraising day for oesophageal cancer in Ireland. He also raises money through The Pádraig Harrington Charitable Foundation. This money helps many people in Ireland and around the world.

Pádraig Harrington's Wins

Amateur Wins

• 1991 Sherry Cup
• 1994 West of Ireland Amateur Championship
• 1995 Irish Amateur Open Championship, Irish Amateur Close Championship
• Leinster Boys Championship

Professional Wins (41 total)

Pádraig has won many tournaments around the world. Here are some of his most important victories:

• PGA Tour Wins (6)
  • 2005 The Honda Classic
  • 2005 Barclays Classic
  • 2007 The Open Championship
  • 2008 The Open Championship (2nd time)
  • 2008 PGA Championship
  • 2015 The Honda Classic (2nd time)

• European Tour Wins (15)
  • 1996 Peugeot Spanish Open
  • 2000 Brazil São Paulo 500 Years Open
  • 2000 BBVA Open Turespaña Masters Comunidad de Madrid
  • 2001 Volvo Masters Andalucía
  • 2002 Dunhill Links Championship
  • 2002 BMW Asian Open (for 2003 season)
  • 2003 Deutsche Bank - SAP Open TPC of Europe
  • 2003 Omega Hong Kong Open (for 2004 season)
  • 2004 Linde German Masters
  • 2006 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (2nd time)
  • 2007 Irish Open
  • 2007 The Open Championship
  • 2008 The Open Championship (2nd time)
  • 2008 PGA Championship
  • 2016 Portugal Masters

• Japan Golf Tour Wins (1)
  • 2006 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament

• Asian Tour Wins (4)
  • 2002 BMW Asian Open
  • 2003 Omega Hong Kong Open
  • 2010 Iskandar Johor Open
  • 2014 Bank BRI Indonesia Open

• Other Wins (11)
  • 1997 World Cup of Golf (with Paul McGinley)
  • 1998 Smurfit Irish PGA Championship
  • 2002 Target World Challenge
  • 2004 Irish PGA Championship (2nd time)
  • 2005 J. P. McManus Pro-Am
  • 2005 Irish PGA Championship (3rd time)
  • 2007 Irish PGA Championship (4th time)
  • 2007 Hassan II Golf Trophy
  • 2008 Ladbrokes.com Irish PGA Championship (5th time)
  • 2009 Ladbrokes.com Irish PGA Championship (6th time)
  • 2012 PGA Grand Slam of Golf

• PGA Tour Champions Wins (9)
  • 2022 U.S. Senior Open
  • 2022 Dick's Sporting Goods Open
  • 2022 Ascension Charity Classic
  • 2022 Charles Schwab Cup Championship
  • 2023 Dick's Sporting Goods Open (2nd time)
  • 2023 TimberTech Championship
  • 2024 Hoag Classic Newport Beach
  • 2024 Dick's Open (3rd time)
  • 2024 Simmons Bank Championship

• European Senior Tour Wins (1)
  • 2022 U.S. Senior Open

Major Championship Results

Pádraig has won 3 major championships:

• 2007 The Open Championship
• 2008 The Open Championship
• 2008 PGA Championship

Here's a quick look at his performance in major tournaments:

Senior Major Championship Results

Pádraig has won 1 senior major championship:

• 2022 U.S. Senior Open

Here's a quick look at his performance in senior major tournaments:

     Win      Top 10      Did not play

Team Appearances

Pádraig has represented Ireland and Europe in many team golf events:

As an Amateur

• Jacques Léglise Trophy (Great Britain & Ireland): 1988 (winners), 1989 (winners)
• European Amateur Team Championship (Ireland): 1991, 1993, 1995
• Walker Cup (Great Britain & Ireland): 1991, 1993, 1995 (winners)
• European Youths' Team Championship (Ireland): 1992
• St Andrews Trophy (Great Britain and Ireland): 1992 (winners), 1994 (winners)

As a Professional

• Alfred Dunhill Cup (Ireland): 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
• World Cup (Ireland): 1996, 1997 (winners), 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• Ryder Cup (Europe): 1999, 2002 (winners), 2004 (winners), 2006 (winners), 2008, 2010 (winners), 2021 (non-playing captain)
  • His Ryder Cup record: 25 matches, 10.5 points (9 wins, 13 losses, 3 ties)
• Seve Trophy (Great Britain & Ireland): 2000, 2002 (winners), 2003 (winners), 2005 (winners)

Awards and Honours

Pádraig has received many awards for his golf achievements:

• International Awards:
  • 2006: European Tour Order of Merit (best player on the European Tour)
  • 2007: European Tour Golfer of the Year, Association of Golf Writers Player of the Year
  • 2008: PGA Player of the Year, PGA Tour Player of the Year, European Tour Golfer of the Year, Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA) Player of the Year, Association of Golf Writers Player of the Year, European Tour Shot of the Year
  • 2022: PGA Tour Champions Rookie of the Year

• National Awards (Ireland):
  • Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award: 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004 (shared), 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
  • RTÉ Sports Person of the Year: 2002, 2007, 2008
  • Irish Golf Writers Professional of the Year Award: 2008

Images for kids

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  Harrington at the 2007 Open Championship

• 

  Harrington teeing off at the 2007 Open Championship.

• 

  Harrington at the 2014 Open de France.

See also

• List of golfers with most European Tour wins
• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• List of men's major championships winning golfers
• List of people on the postage stamps of Ireland
• Golf in Ireland