Like a rare wine, Pádraig Harrington is ageing well. The 53-year-old Dubliner has juggled playing on three tours this year – the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the Champions Tour – and his victory in the Simmons Bank Championship in Arkansas, a third win of the season on the Champions circuit stateside, has brought with it the carrot of potentially finishing on top of the order of merit.
With just one tournament left, the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup in Phoenix next week, Harrington has moved from 11th to fourth on the points standings and within striking distance of Ernie Els, with Steven Alker and Stephen Ames between them.
Harrington showcased the power he has in his armoury with a drive of 320 yards on the par-5 18th hole of his final round to set up a closing birdie, ultimately finishing with a 67 for 17-under-par 199. That gave him a two-shot winning margin over runner-up YE Yang on Sunday and his sights are now firmly set on catching and leapfrogging Els.
Of claiming a 41st career win of a career which started with a move into the professional ranks only because players he’d beaten as an amateur were making such a move, the three-time Major champion will head to Phoenix with as much vigour as ever.
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“My intention when I was a young guy was to play amateur golf. I only turned pro because I was beating the guys who were turning pro. But I’ve never looked back. I’ve run with that ball and golf has been very good for me. It doesn’t get old, though, winning. I’ve got to say. You still feel anxious and nervous. This is the great thing about the Champions Tour. I’ve won 41 times, but I’m reliving my glories here, I’m reliving my past wins.
“The whole thing of being in contention and trying to hit the shots under pressure, it’s like you’re back as a young lad, it’s like you’re back in the good old days. Out here on the Champions Tour, you’re reliving the past glories, you’re hitting those shots ... what other sport gives you that opportunity to feel like a star again?”
Harrington’s competitiveness hasn’t waned, for sure. He has played 14 times so far this season on the Champions Tour (with wins in the Hoag Classic, the Dick’s Open and the Simmons Bank) but has also played in 12 tournaments across the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. He has shown an ability to compete with the younger guns, including a tied-12th place finish in the recent BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. He also had a top-25 in The Open at Royal Troon.
When Harrington goes in pursuit of Els at the Charles Schwab Cup, a tournament which he won by seven strokes in 2022, he will be on a familiar landscape:
“I just try and keep doing what I’m doing [in winning the Simmons Bank], keep going with that. I’m not trying introduce anything new, just play the way I played. The golf course [in Phoenix] itself suits me, so hopefully I get a few breaks during the week, get myself in contention. And 72 holes I’m happy about that, I like the extra rounds. Yeah, excited. There’s so many good players, you can’t take anything for granted. You do need to have a big week.”
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