Padraig Harrington was a four-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions last year and still holding his own on the regular circuits, which he is playing with a purpose.
Even at age 51, it’s all about the majors.
The Irishman, a leading favorite for election to the World Golf Hall of Fame this week, is eligible for three majors this year. He has exemptions to the PGA Championship and British Open as a champion, and he earned a spot in the U.S. Open by winning the U.S. Senior Open last year.
“You’re not going to win a major playing off a Champions Tour event,” Harrington said at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he made his second cut in as many starts on the PGA Tour this year.
That goes back to the very reason Harrington wanted to come to the U.S. in the first place. He happily would have stayed in Europe, but he felt playing strong PGA Tour events would make the majors feel more normal.
“I want to test myself against the young guys to see if I really am playing that well,” Harrington said. “And if you want to win a major, you’ve got to turn the majors into being normal. You can’t just be turning up there and be like a rabbit in the headlights. That’s what happens at majors.
“You’ve got to be familiar playing with the same guys,” he said. “You want to be where there’s drama, there’s things going on, just to get used to it.”
