Padraig Harrington has suggested that he is beginning to feel the pressure to win on PGA Tour Champions, with other players suggesting that he may only have a few more years before his game enters into a decline.
Harrington is now a four-time major champion on the senior circuit after winning the US Senior Open at Scioto on Sunday. He finished four shots clear of Stewart Cink to retain his title.
How many golfers in the current game will be remembered in 50 years time?
Who is leaving the greatest legacy?
Obviously, Harrington had a phenomenal career on the PGA Tour and European Tour. He won three majors, including The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
But he appears to be enjoying something of an Indian summer on PGA Tour Champions.
Padraig Harrington reflects on winning the US Senior Open at 54
No one has won the US Senior Open more often than the Irishman now.
This week actually saw his first victory of the season. And it seems that one of his main emotions after his win in Ohio is relief.
Harrington was asked about becoming the joint most successful player in US Senior Open history along with Miller Barber. And he admitted that he is becoming wary of Father Time catching up with him.
“Fantastic. I wasn’t sure if it was the score I tied, the low score. But no, I like creating records, and to be part of that is a big deal. It just goes to show how hard it is,” he said.
“There’s a little element to me, I’m 54, and there’s new guys coming on, and it’s the first time that I’ve been knocked back a little bit since I’ve got to the Champions Tour when I see these new guys like, oh, these guys are good, as in I had an advantage.
“Now I’m seeing guys coming along, and I’m kind of realizing there is only a window to win these tournaments. They have told me, other players, that it’s kind of up to about 56, 57, then it starts going downhill pretty quickly.
“But certainly I was thinking that way and feeling that way, that you only have a set period to get your major wins on the Senior Tour because not that you’re getting older but new guys are coming in.”
The advice Padraig Harrington would give younger golfers now
From the outside, Harrington appears to be one of the most thoughtful players out there. That has surely helped him thrive in the twilight of his career.
He is one of the most honest voices in the game, with Harrington sharing so many of his tips on social media for amateur golfers to soak up.
And Harrington explained what advice he would give to younger players looking to follow his path.
“It’s so easy to become good at this game physically now with the technology that’s out there. What will set young people apart going forward will be their imagination, their resilience,” he said.
“Right at this moment, the game has become more physical than it’s ever been. Well, that’s going to change once it gets to saturation point of everybody is a good swinger of the golf club. It’s going to revert back to who’s got the mental fortitude, the imagination.
“As much as I do my YouTube lessons, if I was working with juniors, it would fully be on the mental side of the game and their attitude and their ability to go out there and enjoy it.”
Harrington may be concerned that he is gradually running out of time to win events on PGA Tour Champions, but it really would not be a huge shock to see him contend again on one of the main tours in the near future.
At the very least, it is hard to imagine that this year’s US Senior Open will be the final victory of Harrington’s incredible career.
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