Harrington is best European Golfer for 2008

Padraig Harrington has been named The 2008 European Tour Golfer of the Year, crowning a truly sensational season for the Irishman during which he firmly established himself as one of the top five players in the world. In a glorious three week spell in mid-summer, the 37 year old Dubliner successfully defended The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale – the first European golfer to achieve the feat since Scotland’s James Braid in 1905-06 – before becoming the first European golfer since Scotland’s Tommy Armour in 1930 to win the US PGA Championship at Oakland Hills; performances which helped him move into the upper echelons of the Official World Golf Ranking. This notable double led to another as Harrington received The European Tour Golfer of the Year Award – voted for by a panel comprising representatives of the Association of Golf Writers (AGW), Television, Radio and The European Tour – for the second year in succession, having accepted the accolade in 2007 following his first Open Championship victory at Carnoustie. The Irishman moves alongside Bernhard Langer and Lee Westwood as double winners of the award – first presented in 1985 – and joint fifth in the all time list which is topped by Colin Montgomerie with four wins, followed by Severiano Ballesteros, Ernie Els and Nick Faldo with three wins apiece. Joining such illustrious company in the annals of golfing history is something the three time Major Championship winner admitted fills him with a considerable sense of pride and achievement. “When you look at the names of the people who have won The European Tour Golfer of the Year over the past 23 seasons, it certainly shows the standing of the award in the world of golf,” said Harrington. “It is very pleasing to be considered alongside these great players and also a great honour to have been voted ahead of some very fine contenders, not just this year, but last year as well. It has been a very strong couple of years for European golf which makes this achievement all the more memorable. “I am sure that in 20 years time, when I am sitting back at home reflecting on my career, I might hear somebody – perhaps even one of my sons – say they’d heard some player or another had been announced as The European Tour Golfer of the Year. At that moment I’d be able to say to them; ‘Hey, I won that twice you know,’ and I’d be proud to do so.” At Royal Birkdale, Harrington’s steely nerve and precise shot-making – which included a stunning five wood approach from 249 yards to three feet on the 17th hole on Sunday, a shot later voted The European Tour Shot of the Year for 2008 – saw him hold off the respective challenges of Ian Poulter and a resurgent Greg Norman to win by four shots; while, at Oakland Hills, a sensational joust with Sergio Garcia – reminiscent of their tussle at Carnoustie in 2007 – led to him holing crucial putts late on the Sunday afternoon to eventually emerge two shots clear of the Spaniard. “I played very well early in the season, had a bunch of top fives and got in contention a few times, but the week of The Open Championship I went out and played great, I really did,” said Harrington. “I hit the ball superbly, especially on the Sunday, and it was a very, very satisfying win for me because of the quality of my golf. “After you win a Major you get such a high out of it that, not surprisingly, there can be a little bit of a fall off. Therefore, to go out and win the US PGA Championship three weeks later was incredibly exciting. Holing those putts at the end and the way the win came about, I will never forget it – that was one of the most thrilling wins of my entire career.” European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady led the tributes to Harrington. “Padraig’s remarkable accomplishment in successfully defending The Open Championship then, 21 days later, completing a unique double by capturing the US PGA Championship, quite rightly earned him The European Tour Golfer of the Year Award and, from many observers, also the accolade of the greatest sportsman in Ireland’s history.” Emphasising the ever-increasing strength in depth apparent on The European Tour International Schedule, despite his double Major triumph, the one thing Harrington did not win in 2008 was The Harry Vardon Trophy; the accolade for finishing European Number One going to Sweden’s Robert Karlsson who ended the season with €2,732,748 to his name, some €273, 639 ahead of the Irishman who finished second with €2,459,109. However Harrington, who won The Harry Vardon Trophy in 2006 and who has been in the top three an astonishing seven times in the past eight seasons, paid tribute to Karlsson who won the Mercedes-Benz Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in a season where he also recorded a further ten top ten finishes and won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup for Sweden in partnership with Henrik Stenson. “I’m delighted that Robert won The Harry Vardon Trophy and became the first Swedish player to do so,” said Harrington. “He is a nice guy and he played great golf all year. This has shown the quality of his play and how much he has improved over the years and so, as much as I would have liked to have won it, I am thrilled that he did.” Karlsson, for his part, returned the compliment. “It was a long time ago that any European player won two Major Championships in a single season and, for that alone, there is no doubt that Padraig Harrington is the Golfer of the Year,” he said. “Obviously he played fantastic golf and is at the peak of a new and strong generation of European players coming through at the top of the game. There have been many guys expected to win Major Championships but Padraig did it twice in one year – that is fantastic for him and for Europe.” One of the reasons Harrington has enjoyed so much success is his famous work ethic, a factor appreciated by no-one more so than his long-time coach Bob Torrance, who joined up with the Irishman after the US Open Championship at the Olympic Club in San Francisco in 1998 and who has been by his side on the practice ranges of the world ever since. “He’s the hardest worker I have ever been involved with and I love that in a golfer,” said Torrance. “Years ago I said to my wife June that I would love to get a young man who was willing to work hard at his game. After Padraig had been seeing me for about two months, she said to me, ‘You’ve found him.’ That is the reason he has been so successful – his work rate.” Living up to that reputation, the 14 time winner on The European Tour International Schedule admitted he is already looking ahead to the 2009 season and being a strong contender for The Race to Dubai. “I have some serious gym work to do in my winter break and I also have some swing changes to make,” he said. “When I come out next year I will be focused on getting my game ready for every week and building up for the Masters Tournament at Augusta National. I know the Masters will be the hardest Major for me to win because of the attention that will be on me. “It is a lot easier to go into these things with a little less profile and stay patient for two or three days under the radar and finish it off on Sunday. But I won’t have that luxury at Augusta because right from the word go there will be focus on me.” Having won three Major Championships in 13 months, many people might deem the Irishman’s planned winter overhaul as unnecessary, believing he should be more than happy with his game, even to the extent that he might consider it in the perfect state. Harrington, however, had one simple reply to that notion. “The day I think that,” he said. “Is the day I will retire.” The European Tour Golfer of the Year Award was first presented in 1985. Previous winners are: 1985: Bernhard Langer 1997: Colin Montgomerie 1986: Severiano Ballesteros 1998: Lee Westwood 1987: Ian Woosnam 1999: Colin Montgomerie 1988: Severiano Ballesteros 2000: Lee Westwood 1989: Nick Faldo 2001: Retief Goosen 1990: Nick Faldo 2002: Ernie Els 1991: Severiano Ballesteros 2003: Ernie Els 1992: Nick Faldo 2004: Vijay Singh 1993: Bernhard Langer 2005: Michael Campbell 1994: Ernie Els 2006: Paul Casey 1995: Colin Montgomerie 2007: Padraig Harrington 1996: Colin Montgomerie