Padraig Harrington, despite his years, still has the same passion and drive to prove himself on the golf scene. Competing on the PGA Tour Champions, the popular Irish golfer earned a remarkable $1.7 million, securing three wins in 16 appearances. The 53-year-old finished the season in fourth place at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship and is determined to continue his strong run in the upcoming challenges on the golf circuit.
In just nine days, Harrington will face a new challenge as he competes in the PNC Championship. Reflecting on his successful season, which featured positive results, Padraig expressed his satisfaction with the year behind him, especially his performance on the greens. The Irish golfer also discussed his long game, admitting that there are still aspects he plans to work on, but overall he is pleased with his performance.
“Struggled on the greens this week but in general this was one of my better years putting,” said Harrington, as quoted by Irish Golfer.
“Long game turned around nicely in the last few months. So unusually I’ve nothing new to work on this winter, just mental game stuff and speed.”
The experienced Irish golfer confirmed that he will focus on the PNC Championship, aiming to achieve a great result there. After that, he plans to take a break, rest, and prepare for what lies ahead. He is happy with his performance this season, especially with his crucial eight-footer putt at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
“That’s another year done. Well, I just have the PNC Championship (Dec 20 – 22) to look forward to before Christmas.
I holed a nice eight-footer on the last to hold onto my fourth place in the Schwab Cup.”
Padraig Harrington© OuttaBoundz Show / Youtube Channel
The 53-year-old golfer sparked many reactions recently when he commented on the changes the PGA Tour is planning to introduce, such as smaller field sizes, fewer fully exempt members, and other alterations. Harrington was candid in his opinion, calling these changes “terrible.” He is someone who believes every golfer should have the opportunity to prove themselves, showcase their best abilities, and compete in major tournaments.
“Terrible. Just terrible. It really is. At the end of the day the people who are on the inside are voting to keep the thing tighter and more closed. Sure, why don’t we just have 12 people in the event if I’m entered and everybody else can go home?”
Harrington stressed that the PGA Tour was functioning well before the proposed changes, noting that while there is some pressure to finish tournaments on time when there are 156 players in the field, golfers can manage that. He emphasized that players are aware at the start of the season that they might miss out on certain tournaments due to time constraints.
Golfers know how everything works, and they know how to adapt to the prevailing conditions. For some, like Harrington, such changes are absurd, given that it is well known to golfers what is allowed and what is not.
Regarding the issue of slow play, Harrington compared it to driving in rush hour traffic, where the courses are overcrowded, and tee times are too tightly scheduled. While he acknowledged that reducing the field size could help address the pace of play issue, he stressed that it’s important to ensure all golfers still have the opportunity to compete.
PGA Tour leaders have ideas that they want to implement, but we will see what will come of it.
Steven Alker claims the Schwab Cup title
One name that has grabbed significant attention this season is New Zealand golfer Steven Alker, who managed to claim the Schwab Cup title, thanks to an impressive number of points accumulated throughout the year. In a conversation with the media, Alker admitted that it feels especially rewarding, noting that when you’re in a good rhythm and streak, you often wonder when it might come to an end. The season is long, filled with challenges and opportunities, and the question is how many of those a golfer can actually capitalize on.
The experienced golfer also made sure to thank the public for their tireless support from day one. While he expected to celebrate a win at the tournament, for him, the most important thing is being the leader in the points race.
“Yeah, very special. You win one and you go, well, can I do another? It’s a season-long race, there’s a lot of golf to be played and the competition’s getting better, so to have No. 2 is pretty special. Support’s been amazing, to have a home game. It would be nice to win it all today, the whole lot, but hey, I’ve got the Schwab Cup and that’s important to me.”- Steven Alker said.