Harrington bringing pride, more golf to the Emerald Isle

text size

Redington/Getty Images

Padraig Harrington has emerged as a major threat -- no pun intended -- in professional golf over the last year.

BALLYBUNION, Ireland -- Padraig Harrington has become a populist icon in his homeland.

Ask the folks at Ballybunion or Waterville or Old Head this question: Who is the greatest sportsman in Ireland's history? And you'll get the same answer.

"Padraig is a beacon for Irish golf," said Anthony Byrne, general manager at Tralee Golf Club. "It's not only the way he plays -- see how he conducts himself. He is incredibly committed."

As a youth, Byrne played against Harrington -- "a long time ago," Byrne said -- in the Barton Shield, an Irish competition for amateurs. Byrne vividly remembers the first time he was paired with Harrington and he marvels at how far Harrington has come.

"He is the greatest sports person ever to come out of Ireland," Byrne said.

Tom Corridan is the 2008 captain at Ballybunion Golf Club, the revered links on Ireland's west coast.

Corridan is an exceptional player in his own right and recognized across Ireland for his accomplishments on the links. Corridan "played a lot of golf" with Harrington and other top European professionals as they were moving up the ladder. That was before Harrington left all the rest behind him.

What set Harrington apart then and now, Corridan said, is his focus.

"It's phenomenal what he's done," Corridan said. "Especially becoming the first Irishman to have won the Open Championship since Fred Daly (in 1947)."

Since that victory at Carnoustie in 2007, Harrington added another Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale and a Wanamaker Trophy at the PGA Championship, both this year. That's three major victories in six opportunities over the past two years.

Harrington was born in Ballyroan, Dublin, and a career in sports came naturally. All the Harringtons on both sides of the Atlantic are sportsmen. His father, Paddy, was an Irish police officer who played Gaelic football for Cork and was also a boxer and hurler. Padraig's second cousin is Joey Harrington, a quarterback who has played for several NFL teams -- currently, he's with the New Orleans Saints.

Ballyroan is a middle-class area on Dublin's south side. Harrington grew up playing his junior and amateur competitions for Stackstown Golf Club.

The three-time major winner is one of five brothers, and he wasn't close to being the best golfer among them, according to Simon Duffield -- general manager at Ballybunion . What Padraig had over the others was unmatched work ethic, desire and dedication.

"It's fantastic for the country," Duffield said. "Ireland is a small nation with such a small golf population. To see Padraig top of the tree, it's fantastic."

Harrington recently acknowledged the sentiments of Corridan and Duffield, admitting he was a "late bloomer. ...

MORE PADDY

Video: Paddy wins PGA
Video: British defense
Player profile page
2008 results
2008 stats

"I kind of always moved to the top of the pile in whatever section I was in and then moved on," Harrington said. "Even at junior level, I never skipped. I always played where I was comfortable. When I had success there, then I took the next step.

"I think the last year-and-a-half is part of that natural progression. It's carried on from when I was an amateur. I've always achieved whatever my initial goals are ... I was trying to improve my game and my swing and things like that."

Cathal O Sullivan is managing director of Sullivan Golf Travel, a leading Ireland-based agency promoting trips to the Emerald Isle. Harrington's success, he said, "can do us no harm.

"Ireland was always on the golf map," O Sullivan said. "But Padraig has given us standing now. He's definitely Ireland's most successful sports personality of all time."

Harrington is having a Tiger-like effect on Irish golf.

"There are new initiatives, and they represent the effect Padraig is having," said O Sullivan, who used as an example the offering of 100 new memberships at a local club that were snapped up almost immediately.

"Padraig, and golf, are all over the national newspapers. There is a lot more junior golf being played. Padraig was the guest at a reception by Ireland's President Mary McAleese. Those kinds of things all have a positive impact on golf in our country."

Swing thoughts:

• Jose Maria Olazabal and Thomas Bjorn, the two men who would appear to be leading candidates to captain Europe's Ryder Cup effort in 2010, both insist they would rather play in Wales. Bjorn, chairman of the Tournament Players Committee, is suggesting the selection might be pushed back from January to May.

The reasoning is that a delay will give Olazabal a few extra months to see whether his health issues have cleared up enough to make him a viable candidate to play. There is no question about his viability as a prospective captain.

One man's take: It will be Olazabal's captaincy in Wales. But until then, you can expect to hear the name Sandy Lyle thrown into the mix.

• What in the world does Boo Weekley have in common with Usain Bolt, the Olympic sprinting gold medalist from Jamaica? Both have been selected by England's Daily Express newspaper among the unlikely stars of the summer of '08. The DE writes, "Weekley stood out as a boisterous character" for the U.S. -- sounds like quite the compliment.

• Nick Faldo is still getting stick. An unnamed European player is quoted in the Daily Mail as saying, "There were probably six captains of the future on that team, and they all had an object lesson in how not to do the job."

Vartan Kupelian is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.