Padraig Harrington - A summer that changed everything

Shortly after winning the Open at Carnoustie in 2007, Padraig Harrington was trying desperately to convince everyone, but mostly himself, that claiming his first major championship was no big deal. That it was just another tournament victory, albeit quite an important one, in a career where his near misses sit like hundreds and thousands sprinkled over the occasional victory cake.

“I am very aware of the twin impostors of success and failure,” he said. “There was nothing I did at Carnoustie that was a jump-out to what I can do normally. It did not feel like a giant leap. It was part of my progression.”

It was as if Harrington, who is a deep thinker, didn’t want to ponder on the enormity of his breakthrough in case the pressure of his achievement would inhibit his future performances. From being one of the best players never to have won a major, Harrington was perhaps wondering that he might now turn out to be a one-hit wonder. Not any longer. Now there is no hiding from the pressure and responsibilities that come with being a major champion. A three-time major champion.

There is no playing down the fact that in 2008, Harrington made giant strides to become the hottest golfer on tour. First he won the Open at Royal Birkdale in July while protecting a sore wrist that almost caused him to withdraw before he had even hit a ball in anger. Then he made the mistake of becoming dehydrated during the August heat of the USPGA Championship in Oakland Hills, Detroit. He struggled all week with his energy levels before breaking Sergio Garcia’s heart on the 17th green to win back-to-back majors. “That was the one that gave me the most satisfaction,” he said. “My game was terrible. To win was phenomenal.”

Harrington likes to do things the hard way. It seems that the worse the situation, the better he performs. It’s almost as if he’s not happy until he has something other than the golf to worry about. “Yeah, there’s no doubt that you should beware the injured golfer,” he said at his home in Dublin before heading off to spend Christmas with his family on a holiday in South Africa. “I have always played better when there is something to distract me. It takes the pressure off what I am trying to achieve on the golf course. All my life I have been motivated by fear. I have spoken to Bob Rotella [Harrington’s sports psychologist] about it. I would like to take confidence from winning tournaments but I just don

’t. And I’m not sure it will ever happen.” Even now, even after his annus mirabilis, Harrington still struggles with a fear of failure. But, this year, Harrington’s has changed. His body language says he is tougher. His eyes are steelier than before. His teeth jut out even more during those pressure-packed turning point moments. He has a seemingly unbreakable and detached aura on the golf course. And you expect him to hole those clutch putts, which he does. Remind you of anyone?

Yet some things never change. Unlike Tiger Woods, who never signs autographs just after winning a major, Harrington caused a bottleneck behind the 18th green at Oakland Hills, signing dozens of autographs and chatting to the spectators. Yet, heck, even this is a complicated, guilt-ridden task for the new People’s Champion.

“I don’t like to leave anybody out,” he said. “I don’t like to think of someone going home disappointed.” Nice guys do win.

People have said you are too nice to have a killer instinct. Do you think this year proved them wrong?
People have said that ever since I was an amateur. But there’s a way of being confidant without being arrogant. You can have an ego but be in control of it. But I would criticise my toughness at times and I wonder if I am too soft [smiles]. And yet there are people who will tell you that I am very tough – going back to those I played against in my amateur days. One of things some people think is that I don’t walk on to the tee like I own it or dominate it. I look at other players and, you know, Monty certainly had a tremendous ability to project that aura when he was in his prime in the ’90s. I believe I don’t feel that. I don’t think I have that strut. But I have a toughness, you know. Don’t get my goat up [smiles]. I can be annoyed into toughness.

You have spent your career battling to feel comfortable with your ability. Has that changed throughout 2008?
I feel worthy that I have won three majors. I feel capable of winning more and I am comfortable with the position I am at in the game. But when I compare myself to [Bernhard] Langer, Woosie [Ian Woosnam], [Sandy] Lyle, and [Greg] Norman, those guys were all great when I was growing up. I’ve won more majors than them but it’s hard to compare myself against them. And I’m only two majors behind Seve [Ballesteros] and three behind [Nick] Faldo, the most successful European golfer ever. That’s hard to get your head around. But I am happy with my place compared against the people I play against. It’s amazing to think that, outside of Tiger, I have won the most majors, equal with a few other guys, of anyone who is still playing.

You sound like you can’t quite believe what you have achieved.
I would definitely agree with that. The media are labelling me as the greatest Irish sportsman ever, and I am constantly trying to get away from that. It has finality about it. I am in the middle of my career and going on to win more majors. I ain’t finished yet, just because I’ve won three majors. You’ve got to get around that in your head. Whatever happened to that journeyman pro you once said you’d be happy to be? I kept my head down and kept running with the ball. I have never stopped to take a breath and start thinking about it. The key for me is not to get drawn into thinking that I’ve had a good career. You have to keep pushing forward.

How difficult, or easy, is it to win majors?
The key is you’ve got to want to put yourself on the line. You’ve got to put your neck out there, and if you do it will get chopped off sometimes. You’re going to mess up. If you’re continually in contention you’re going to have guys that do great things and things are going to go against you. Some players don’t like that feeling.

Do you really believe there are players out there who are frightened to win?
I don’t think that they consciously could consider that they don’t want to win, but there are certainly people that are so afraid of losing that they don’t get themselves in that position as often. It’s a subconscious thing. I’m sure any psychologist will tell you if you get hurt often enough you wouldn’t go back to that situation. Certainly players have had an experience where they’ve messed up and been criticised. You can see that sometimes they don’t necessarily want to put themselves in that position again.

But you would?
To be honest, I would. And I have done over the years. I had a remarkable record of having plenty of second places and thirds and fourths. But I did the same thing as an amateur. I spent about three years with not that many wins, and then I had a period when I won all around me.

What did this year teach you about the secret to winning majors?
I realised that you can win a major without playing perfect golf. I did play perfect to win the Open at Birkdale. But I didn’t play my best golf at the USPGA – and still won. So you gain confidence from that. I read the situation much better now. I have a good understanding of how to close out a final round, especially in a major. I now feel that, with nine holes to go, I can dominate.

There was a time where you weren’t sure you had what it takes to win a major. All that has changed?
Definitely. Winning my first major last year felt like it was for everybody. It was for everybody who has lived through the highs and lows of my career. And I really wanted to give something back so I did everything I could to give as much of myself as I could. And at the end of the year, I was shattered. This year I have been much more professional. And I am keen to get going again next year.

Is it all about winning majors for you now?
Yeah, my goals now are to get into contention in the four majors. And if I peak in them, I know I’m going to win some more. When it comes to the majors, and especially the back nine on Sunday, I am comfortable and confident. I do try to peak for the majors. I’m going to play my very best golf. I know if I stay patient and disciplined and wait my turn, come Sunday afternoon I’ll be there, or thereabouts. It’s easier to win majors than tournaments. Patience is what it takes to win and patience is one of my strong points, which serves me well.”

How has your life changed because of what you achieved in 2008?
I have noticed I have a much bigger profile around the world, and especially in Ireland, which I didn’t think could happen. But it’s nice to be asked for your autograph than not. You have to embrace all that and enjoy it. But it does make more situations difficult – I was chased by my first paparazzi photographer this year while I was out shopping in Dublin with my wife [Caroline]. It’s a sign that I must be doing something right [laughs]. But being in the spotlight doesn’t stress me at all. One thing I do feel is a lot more respect from my peers. They ask me questions, are inquisitive about what I’m doing. I believe I am a great role model for any golfer – that if they apply themselves, they can actually achieve great things in this game.

Does it give you some insight into just how crazy life is for Tiger?
Because of what he has achieved, he can’t lead a normal life. I haven’t quite reached his level [laughs].