Padraig Harrington has put together a remarkable career over the years, and he’s got the silverware to prove it.
Still, there’s one event from the early days of his career that probably still sticks with him. The year was 2000, and even though he’d already shown plenty of promise, that particular tournament didn’t go as planned.
Now 54, Harrington has chalked up 43 professional wins so far, including three major titles.
His work ethic remains second to none even now, and he’s always been praised for his relentless drive to maximise every bit of talent he has. It’s a reputation built on years of hard graft rather than natural flair.
It wasn’t until 2007 that he finally broke through at Carnoustie to claim The Open title.
A year later at Royal Birkdale, Harrington successfully defended his Open crown before adding a PGA Championship later that same season – completing an impressive major double in just over 12 months.
But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. While his regular tour career was full of highlights, there were also moments when things went off script for the Irishman.
Padraig Harrington was disqualified after shooting a course record
After three rounds of the Benson and Hedges Championship in 2000 at The Belfry, Harrington was sitting in a strong position.
He had built up a five-shot lead going into Sunday and appeared well on his way to securing what would have been his third win on the European Tour (now the DP World Tour).
Harrington opened with rounds of 71 and 69, heading into the weekend at four-under-par for the tournament.
Then came Saturday, when he fired an eight-under-par 64 – which was not only an outstanding score but also set a new course record on the redesigned Belfry layout at that time.
But it was that very round of 64 that led to his disqualification.
The Belfry officials had asked to keep Harrington’s scorecards from his first three rounds as souvenirs for display. It was during this process that an issue surfaced with his first-round card.
It turned out that Harrington had forgotten to sign his opening round scorecard, leading to him being removed from the tournament.
Jose Maria Olazabal ended up winning the event, taking home the $220,000 winner’s cheque as well. While it remains one of golf’s most unusual stories, it stands in sharp contrast to how things played out later in Harrington’s career.
How Padraig Harrington responded to his disqualification
Harrington was clearly gutted when he realised what had happened, but he didn’t shy away from the responsibility.
“We know that the responsibility for the card lies solely with yourself,” he said. “I’ve been doing it since I was 12 and this is the first time I’ve failed to sign.
“I rang all my family and it felt like, ‘God, I’m ringing round as if there’s been a death’. There hasn’t been a death; I just haven’t won the tournament.”
He made it clear there were no hard feelings towards anyone else involved. The mistake was his alone.
The rules are clear and Harrington knew them well. From day one in golf, signing your scorecard is drilled into every player.
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