62 Facts About Padraig Harrington

Padraig Peter Harrington was born on 31 August 1971 and is an Irish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour, PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions.

Padraig Harrington has won three major championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Championship, in 2008.

Padraig Harrington spent over 300 weeks in the top-10 of the world rankings, and reached a career-high ranking of third in July 2008.

Padraig Harrington was born in Dublin, Ireland, the youngest of five sons of Patrick and Breda Padraig Harrington.

Padraig Harrington's father, "Paddy", a Garda who played Gaelic football for Cork in the 1950s, was a boxer and hurler, and played to a five handicap in golf.

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Padraig Harrington grew up in Rathfarnham, an area on Dublin's southside and the birthplace of two other professional golfers, Paul McGinley and Peter Lawrie.

Padraig Harrington attended the same local secondary school as McGinley, giving their school, Colaiste Eanna, the unique distinction of having produced two Ryder Cup captains.

Padraig Harrington came to professional golf at a relatively late age, having studied accountancy at university for a number of years while playing high-standard amateur golf.

Padraig Harrington was unsure whether to turn professional, initially doubting his skills.

However, in 2000 Padraig Harrington discovered a winning touch with two European Tour wins at the Brazil Sao Paulo 500 Years Open in April, and the BBVA Open Turespana Masters Comunidad de Madrid in October.

In 2001 Padraig Harrington won his fourth tournament on the European Tour at the Volvo Masters Andalucia, this win and 6 runners up finishes in 2001 lifted Padraig Harrington to a then career high year end finish of second on the European Tour's Order of Merit.

Padraig Harrington continued this winning form into 2003 winning the first event of the 2003 season at the BMW Asian Open in November 2002.

Padraig Harrington's winning form continued into the new year winning the Deutsche Bank Players Championship of Europe in May 2003.

Padraig Harrington won a further two events on the European tour in 2004 at the Omega Hong Kong Open in December 2003 and the Linde German Masters in September 2004.

Padraig Harrington finished the season 3rd on the European Tour's Order of Merit, this was the 4th consecutive year in which he was within the year end top-5 and the 6th consecutive year in the top-10.

In 2005 having joined the PGA Tour, Padraig Harrington played fewer events on the European Tour and experienced his first winless year on the tour since 1999.

In 2006 Padraig Harrington was a winner on the European Tour at the 2006 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, this was his second links golf win having won the event in 2002 and was a prelude for his future Open Championship success.

In 2007 Padraig Harrington won the Irish Open for the first time, in doing so Padraig Harrington became the first home winner of the Irish Open for 25 years.

Padraig Harrington won the European Tour Golfer of the Year award in 2007 and 2008.

Padraig Harrington took membership of the PGA Tour in 2005 and in March he won his first PGA Tour official money event at the Honda Classic, where he beat Vijay Singh and Joe Ogilvie in a sudden-death playoff.

Padraig Harrington spent over 300 weeks in the world top ten between 2001 and 2010.

Padraig Harrington has played for Europe in six Ryder Cups; losing in 1999 and 2008, but winning in 2002,2004,2006 and 2010.

Padraig Harrington has won the par-3 contest at Augusta National, held the day before The Masters, in 2003,2004 and 2012.

At the 2007 Open Championship, Padraig Harrington defeated Sergio Garcia in a four-hole playoff at Carnoustie Golf Links, becoming the first Irishman to win The Open Championship in 60 years, and the first ever from the Republic of Ireland.

Padraig Harrington shot a four-under-par 32 on the back nine, which enabled him to pull away from Norman and Ian Poulter.

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Padraig Harrington is the first European golfer since James Braid in 1906 to retain the Claret Jug.

Just three weeks after winning the Open Championship, Padraig Harrington won the PGA Championship over the South Course of the Oakland Hills Country Club, for his third major.

Padraig Harrington became the first European to win the PGA Championship in 78 years, and was the first winner from Ireland.

Padraig Harrington started his 2009 season with a tied-fifth finish in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship on the European Tour.

Padraig Harrington finished tied-11th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in what would be one of his better results in the early part of 2009.

Padraig Harrington arrived at the 2009 Masters Tournament hoping to join Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods as the only players to win three consecutive professional majors.

Padraig Harrington started with a 3-under-par first round, but eventually faded over the weekend, finishing tied for 35th place.

Padraig Harrington's struggles continued in the succeeding months, as he missed the cut at five of his next six events, including The 3 Irish Open and the US Open.

Padraig Harrington arrived at The Open Championship at Turnberry hoping to complete a hat-trick of Open wins, a feat that has only been achieved since the 1880s by Peter Thomson.

Padraig Harrington led by one shot playing the 16th hole, but he racked up a triple-bogey to Woods' birdie and he finished in joint 2nd place.

The following week Padraig Harrington, the defending champion, played the first two rounds with Woods at the PGA Championship.

Padraig Harrington shot a first round 68, ending one shot behind the leader Woods.

Padraig Harrington was in contention in the final round, until he made an 8 at the par-3 8th hole.

Padraig Harrington finished in the top-10 in all four FedEx Cup playoff events, before further top-10s in Europe and the States before the end of the season.

Padraig Harrington ended the year winless on the European and PGA Tours for the first time since 1999.

Padraig Harrington missed the cut in three out of the four majors in 2010.

Padraig Harrington was a controversial wild-card pick by European captain Colin Montgomerie for the 2010 Ryder Cup.

Padraig Harrington won two matches and lost two matches as Europe regained the Ryder Cup.

Padraig Harrington won his first tournament in two years at the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia on the Asian Tour.

Padraig Harrington started his 2011 season with an opening round 65, for a first round lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on the European Tour.

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Padraig Harrington was later disqualified before his second round commenced, after a spectator telephoned in and pointed out an incident of his ball moving an exceptionally small distance closer to the hole on the green, while he was replacing his ball marker, during the first round; it had been shown on television.

Padraig Harrington enjoyed a good finish in the overall tournament with a tied for seventh finish.

In March 2012, Padraig Harrington shot a 61 in the first round of the Transitions Championship to set a new course record at the Copperhead Course.

Padraig Harrington later stated that he thought he had to birdie the last to get to 1-over-par as the reason for taking such an aggressive line on the 18th.

Padraig Harrington eventually finished in a tie for fourth place, which represented his best showing at a US Open.

In October 2012 Padraig Harrington won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf despite having not won a major championship during the year, having been a late replacement for Open champion Ernie Els.

Padraig Harrington endured difficult 2013 and 2014 seasons finishing outside of the top 60 on the European Tour Race to Dubai in both years and outside of the top 130 on the PGA Tour FedEx Cup in both years.

In March 2015, Padraig Harrington won his first title on the European or PGA Tours in seven years at the Honda Classic.

Padraig Harrington defeated rookie Daniel Berger on the second extra hole of a sudden-death playoff.

Padraig Harrington was the second consecutive player ranked 297th in the world to win on the PGA Tour, after James Hahn won the Northern Trust Open the week before.

Padraig Harrington finished second to Steve Stricker in his first senior major, The Tradition.

Padraig Harrington's eldest brother, Tadhg, is a professional golf coach who owns and teaches at the Padraig Harrington Golf Academy in Dublin, Ireland.

Padraig Harrington passed his final exams in 1994 to gain admittance to ACCA.

Padraig Harrington has undergone laser eye surgery in a bid to improve his game.

Padraig Harrington became a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics, the world's largest sports organisation for people with intellectual disabilities, in May 2010.

Padraig Harrington has conducted a number of golf clinics for Special Olympics athletes and coaches.

Padraig Harrington is patron of Irish charity Oesophageal Cancer Fund since 2006, having lost his father to oesophageal cancer in 2005.