Scott Harrington makes big move while his wife cheers from afar
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HUMBLE, TEXAS - OCTOBER 13: Scott Harrington of the United States plays his shot from the 14th tee during the final round of the Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston on October 13, 2019 in Humble, Texas. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
HOUSTON – Scott Harrington and his wife Jennifer discussed whether she should fly in from Arizona to follow his final round at the Houston Open. But Harrington had not played that well in the third round – he shot an even-par 72 – and was three strokes off the lead.
“If I had played well yesterday and perhaps was maybe a little closer,” Harrington said. “It’s not like she didn’t think I was going to win or anything … she was going to have to fly out this morning and then go right back home.
“We just kind of decided that she was going to stay home.”
While Jennifer wasn’t at the Golf Club of Houston in person, she was certainly part of her husband’s final round in spirit. And it nearly resulted in victory, as Harrington shot a 5-under 67 to finish tied for second, one stroke behind winner Lanto Griffin.
Of course, Jennifer will always be with Scott. Their story is well-known by golf fans, with Scott putting his career on hold to deal with Jennifer’s battles with cancer. She’s now about 12 months into remission. When he secured his PGA TOUR card recently on the Korn Ferry Tour, Jennifer was there to share tears of joy.
And though she wasn’t on-site Sunday, Harrington had plenty of support.
“I’m not a household name; I’m far from it,” he said. “In general, people haven’t known me for my whole career except for pretty extreme golf fans.
“So far, just in the early part of the season, the number of people who have … put out their hands and said, ‘Hey, really pulling for you this week.’ They know our story and I can tell there’s been a lot of instances like that. It’s really cool and it’s been pretty neat, the response that we’ve gotten from everybody.”
Meanwhile, there is golf to be played – and Harrington, even coming up one shot short, is encouraged by his performance. He was a bogey-free 3 under on the front, and then hung tough on a rollercoaster back nine that included four birdies and two bogeys. He had a 16-foot birdie putt on the 18th that could’ve got him into a playoff, but just missed.
“Yeah, there’s a couple putts I’d like to have back, but … it’s all positives out of this week,” he said. “This opens up a lot of things for me the rest of the year, that’s for sure, and just for my career in general – just to know that for my first time in contention, that I can play on this stage under these lights and pull off the shots when I need them.”
Of course, he’s dealt with pressures far greater off the golf course.
“I thought about it last night. I thought about it today on the course. Pressure,” Harrington said. “Our last two years has been pressure. This is nothing, this is a game. There’s no doubt it’s changed my perspective a bit.”
Soon he’ll be back home in Arizona. He and Jennifer will discuss his week, including him nearly pulling off the win. No doubt next time he’s in contention, she’ll be waiting for him at the 18th green.