Is Padraig Harrington under-appreciated in Ireland?

Pisco Sour

Was just reflecting on Padraig's past achievements today and it got me thinking that he doesnt seem to get as much recognition in Ireland as much as he should perhaps.

For example when Ken Doherty won the World Snooker Championships in 1997 he had an open top bus tour in Dublin with 250,000 people lining the streets. Where was all of this for Padraig?

He has won 2 Opens. The oldest and most prestigious of all Golfing events. Golf's equivalent to Wimbledon in tennis. Imagine if an Irish man won back to back Wimbledon titles. Something tells me that more of a fuss would be made about that.

I just think that his success is taken for granted here. What are people's thoughts?

durkadurka

I think we've got a bit more used to sporting success here. I saw ken doherty the other day in public and nobody recognised him.
I love Harrington but he frustrates me with his constant meddling , and is increasingly regular brain farts.

Just go out and play Padraig!!!!

Tom Ghostwood

Average Joe doesnt care as golf is a stupid game for posh rich people who drive big mercs & eat poor people for dinner.

BiffoGooner

Bit of a silly thread.

staker

Eeeeeehhhhhhhhhh

Daithio9

04072511 wrote: »

Was just reflecting on Padraig's past achievements today and it got me thinking that he doesnt seem to get as much recognition in Ireland as much as he should perhaps.

For example when Ken Doherty won the World Snooker Championships in 1997 he had an open top bus tour in Dublin with 250,000 people lining the streets. Where was all of this for Padraig?

He has won 2 Opens. The oldest and most prestigious of all Golfing events. Golf's equivalent to Wimbledon in tennis. Imagine if an Irish man won back to back Wimbledon titles. Something tells me that more of a fuss would be made about that.

I just think that his success is taken for granted here. What are people's thoughts?

Serious question, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you think he cares?.

soundsham

no he's not underappreciated..........he's criticised while playing muck and praised when playing well,

bit of a dumb question really in my opinion

mike65

He needs to marry a model and captain the Ryder Cup team while playing and sinking the winning putt

Harrington is a low key figure with no "charisma/presence" to speak of. If he ain't winning no-one really thinks about him whereas if he were a garrulous, "rent a quote" sort always sounding off about the game in the media he'd be in the general publics thoughts more and his successes would be remembered quicker.

soundsham

mike65 wrote: »

He needs to marry a model and captain the Ryder Cup team while playing and sinking the winning putt

Harrington is a low key figure with no "charisma/presence" to speak of. If he ain't winning no-one really thinks about him whereas if he were a garrulous, "rent a quote" sort always sounding off about the game in the media he'd be in the general publics thoughts more and his successes would be remembered quicker.

you dont read the examiner then I take it...........
he talks so much crap about his mind ...focusing etc its tedious
too much rotella trash

mike65

Thats a Cork paper...

johndoe99

who is Padraig Harrington ?

heavyballs

soundsham wrote: »

you dont read the examiner then I take it...........
he talks so much crap about his mind ...focusing etc its tedious
too much rotella trash

don't agree with that at all,his problem is he says too much and is too honest to the press
a lot of pro's use rotella trash but they keep they're mouth shut and get on with it,and it works

soundsham

used to be,
now were letting everyone have a look;)

ant043

Yeah Padraig doesn't really have any media skills. His interviews are boring and tedious and he just comes across as being very awkward when in the limelight. He's still a great player though who i definitely wouldn't right off. He's tinkering far too much with a swing which won him three majors. I think it's a case of paralysis by analysis imo.

Aidric

ant043 wrote: »

Yeah Padraig doesn't really have any media skills. His interviews are boring and tedious and he just comes across as being very awkward when in the limelight. He's still a great player though who i definitely wouldn't right off. He's tinkering far too much with a swing which won him three majors. I think it's a case of paralysis by analysis imo.

I agree with you that he is tedious but you can't say he has no media skills. He picked up an award from the American golf writers there recently.
heavyballs was right, he is too honest and goes in to a level of detail that most don't need to know. I've said on here many times already but I firmly believe he has developed a mental block now.

Clareman

He's an accountant

I don't think he's into the whole open topped bus thing, I'm sure he was asked if he wanted it or not, he'd prefer to celebrate in his local club. He also got awarded the best Irish Sportsperson ever, can't really get much more appreciated than that really

Russman

He's a superb player, but needs to learn how to say nothing when he's answering questions while being interviewed IMO. He's too nice/honest for his own good (if thats a criticism).

All we hear from him is "I lost focus...." "I'm a bit rusty...." "I made some mental errors...." or variations thereof. Put on another record.

He seems to go out of his way to either make the game more difficult for himself or get attention and in my humble opinion needs to get out and simply "play" to get his form back. Everyone has their unique characteristics but Padraig apprear to revel in being too quirky.

At the same time, he's a brilliant player, and its hard to argue with 3 majors, when the likes of Sergio, Monty, Westwood etc (all arguably more talented) have none between them.

Kinky Slinky

Russman wrote: »

He's a superb player, but needs to learn how to say nothing when he's answering questions while being interviewed IMO. He's too nice/honest for his own good (if thats a criticism).

All we hear from him is "I lost focus...." "I'm a bit rusty...." "I made some mental errors...." or variations thereof. Put on another record.

He seems to go out of his way to either make the game more difficult for himself or get attention and in my humble opinion needs to get out and simply "play" to get his form back. Everyone has their unique characteristics but Padraig apprear to revel in being too quirky.

At the same time, he's a brilliant player, and its hard to argue with 3 majors, when the likes of Sergio, Monty, Westwood etc (all arguably more talented) have none between them.

I heard he was is a right cnut in real life

Martin567

I agree with a couple of other posters in that Padraig is far too helpful at times with golf writers. He goes into great detail explaining the process of what he is working on when he would probably be better off giving a more bland answer. I'm sure many other players are working on similar things, they just don't talk about it as much.

Padraig does frustrate me at times with his constant tinkering. However, I think that's just how he is. He is a perfectionist and very analytical. When he first turned pro, nobody expected him to achieve anything like what he has. It is his hard work and constant efforts to improve that have made him so successful. If he had been the type to just go out and play and ignore the use of mind coaches, etc, it is very unlikely he would ever have won even one major, let alone three. So while he can be frustrating, I believe that this aspect of his character is precisely the reason why he has been so successful.

His confidence seems to be low at the moment but he probably just needs one good week and everything could turn around. It's two years since he had a win and I think that one victory would wipe out the memories of the Bridgestone and USPGA from last year which would have really dented his confidence. He has played some very good golf this year but unfortunately he has yet to play four good rounds in the one event.

heavyballs

Kinky Slinky wrote: »

I heard he was is a right cnut in real life

couldn't disagree more,my best mate went to college with him and still keeps in touch,he's a pure gent

f22

Much as I admire his achievements he annoys the living **** out of me. I could never back him to win a tournament, he just makes me want to smash the tv sometimes!

JerryHandbag

I cant help but feel he could be world no.1 by now if he didnt start tinkering after the USPGA win. He was unreal in those majors in 07/08, he had the Tiger-factor, once he got onto the leaderboard you felt it inevitable he was gonna win.

He felt he needed to go away and improve but how exactly do you improve on winning 3 majors in just over a year?!! I know its a tiresome cliche, but why fix it if it aint broke? He's in his late 30s now, his peak years as a pro golfer in terms of winning majors, what he has achieved has been incredible, but just seems like a missed oppurtunity to be no.1 golfer in the world, especially with Tigers shenanigans over past year.

the groutch

personality goes a long way in golf, and padraig just doesnt have any

heavyballs

the groutch wrote: »

personality goes a long way in golf, and padraig just doesnt have any

:eek:neither does Tiger(proir to sleezefest),personality has nothing to do with pro golf,

heavyballs

the groutch wrote: »

personality goes a long way in golf, and padraig just doesnt have any

but it was alright when he was winning majors but not now???????????????

croker95

Kinky Slinky wrote: »

I heard he was is a right cnut in real life

Rubbish....Very Nice Guy but not Loud or Brash.

I'd rather his attitude than say a "Poulter" for example....

Russman

croker95 wrote: »

Rubbish....Very Nice Guy but not Loud or Brash.

I'd rather his attitude than say a "Poulter" for example....

+1 to that. I went to the same school and was on the golf team with him on occassion (ie when the rest of the first team were unavailable and they needed a gimper like me ! ) and he's grand. Some top amateurs around the time he was playing Walker Cups didn't really like him but I don't really know why TBH. It could have been his individuality.........

f22

Russman wrote: »

Some top amateurs around the time he was playing Walker Cups didn't really like him but I don't really know why TBH. It could have been his individuality.........

It was probably down to how painfully slow he was during championships back then. It was ridiculous what he got away with sometimes.

Speak Now

He was reading the weather on radio 1 at 7.55 a.m this morning.

mag

i used to play a bit with him back in the boys & he was always sound enough, very focused and just out to win but thats why he is where he is.

his game has gone downhill since 08 but that seems to be a combination of the seek for perfection (as many other have said) and a drop in confidence due to under-performance - the tournament where he went head-to-head with tiger last yr & skulled it in the water may have had a large effect on his confidence imho.

i always hope that he does well, dont really understand why people have such a downer on him - pros are constantly messing around with their swings & he gives much better press than 99% of them, platitutes are the order of the day usually and himself & phil seem to give honest and thoughtful answers to mostly dull questions.

whatawaster

He's definitely under-appreciated, i think. And definitely over-criticised

People go on now like he's completely lost his game, just as they were saying this time last year before he went on an extra-ordinary run of form and nearly won the fed-ex cup. People have very short memories.

He's still in the top 20 in the world, despite his "slump"

Russman

whatawaster wrote: »

He's definitely under-appreciated, i think. And definitely over-criticised

+1
I think however, people would appreciate it if sometimes he simply said "yeah I played badly today" or "I hit a bad shot on the 12th"

blackwaterfish

every pro golfers career blows hot and cold periodically. previously i would have said tiger is the exception, but now he's definitely going through a cold period.

to expect padraig to maintain the level of performance he had in 07 and 08 is retarded. but at least in his case when he was hot he won 3 majors. look at sergio, a few seasons back he was playing some sensational golf all he could muster was a Players. look at els, several years of consistant performance that brought 3 majors, then a long period in the abyss and now he's contesting regularily on the final day again with 2 pga titles already this year. Similarly steve stricker, goosen and even mickleson.

it happens. harrington will be back, saying that tho - i cant see him getting an auto place at the ryder cup.

conno16

under appreciated?
mockery
hes over appreciated if anything

i cant stand people who go on about this world class golfer we have
the cringe
he a hacker that hacked his way to two majors in a weak field and beat a self-destructing spanner

he has nothing on gmac and rory
wait until the next generation emerge and we'll quickly be consigning paddy to the museum

thegen

conno16 wrote: »

under appreciated?
mockery
hes over appreciated if anything

i cant stand people who go on about this world class golfer we have
the cringe
he a hacker that hacked his way to two majors in a weak field and beat a self-destructing spanner

he has nothing on gmac and rory
wait until the next generation emerge and we'll quickly be consigning paddy to the museum

I have to say, the above post has taken the tripe we have endured from Conno to an all time low. The summer camps must be over and Mammy has let him back at her laptop:rolleyes:

conno16

i've made my feelings clear re harro plenty times here
he is gloriously over-rated by the irish
that is all

personally i dont expect him to feature in majors again
in fact shane lowry will prob win a major before he does again

end of my contribution on harro

thegen

conno16 wrote: »

i've made my feelings clear re harro plenty times here
he is gloriously over-rated by the irish
that is all

personally i dont expect him to feature in majors again
in fact shane lowry will prob win a major before he does again

end of my contribution on harro

Im glad to seeing that is the end of your contribution.

blackwaterfish

conno16 wrote: »

i've made my feelings clear re harro plenty times here
he is gloriously over-rated by the irish
that is all

personally i dont expect him to feature in majors again
in fact shane lowry will prob win a major before he does again

end of my contribution on harro

poor quality blatant troll. its hardly worth commenting upon.

conno16

have to respond to that
this is not trolling
i've always consistently said that harrington is hugely over-rated
the sooner he just starts writing books about the mechanics of the golf swing the better..
did ye see him practicing his swing on the practice area saturday and sunday - looked like some sort of freak show
why the hell was he still around anyways?
musta booked the return flight for sunday evening and was too tight to rebook.

the harrington "era" is over thankfully
he'll struggle to make the pointless/redundant ryder cup the way hes going

MiniGolf

conno16 wrote: »

have to respond to that
this is not trolling
i've always consistently said that harrington is hugely over-rated
the sooner he just starts writing books about the mechanics of the golf swing the better..
did ye see him practicing his swing on the practice area saturday and sunday - looked like some sort of freak show
why the hell was he still around anyways?
musta booked the return flight for sunday evening and was too tight to rebook.

the harrington "era" is over thankfully
he'll struggle to make the pointless/redundant ryder cup the way hes going

blackwaterfish

conno16 wrote: »

i cant stand people who go on about this world class golfer we have
the cringe
he a hacker that hacked his way to two majors in a weak field and beat a self-destructing spanner

Search youtube for : royal birkdale 2008 back nine in 32 shots to win second successive Open - because you obviously havent seen it, either that or your a troll or its just plain idiocy.

Or what about 3 weeks later? two 66s in 3rd & 4th rounds to come from 5 over to win US PGA at Oakland hills. to say he grabbed that one by the balls is in no way an overstatement.

maybe i need to look up the definition of hacker.

Aidric

f22 wrote: »

It was probably down to how painfully slow he was during championships back then. It was ridiculous what he got away with sometimes.

This is one of the things that annoy me the most about Harrington. I watched him on a few holes at the JP Pro-Am. The agonizing over every shot was painful to watch. This has been picked up on by many fans and commentators alike.
Far too much thinking going on over every shot. The danger with that is the bad thoughts cloud the judgement and brainfarts like the first @ The Open happen.

blackwaterfish

wiki:

"aside from Woods, he is the first golfer to win three of six consecutive majors in 25 years, since Tom Watson accomplished the feat in 1983, something that only four other players - Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Lee Trevino had previously achieved since the modern "Grand Slam" of four majors began to be recognized in the 1950s."


HACKER ALERT!!!!! hahaha... brilliant!

Martin567

Aidric wrote: »

This is one of the things that annoy me the most about Harrington. I watched him on a few holes at the JP Pro-Am. The agonizing over every shot was painful to watch. This has been picked up on by many fans and commentators alike.
Far too much thinking going on over every shot. The danger with that is the bad thoughts cloud the judgement and brainfarts like the first @ The Open happen.

While he is undoubtedly not a quick player, I think it is exaggerated how slow he is. I've seen him play with Tiger on a few occasions and Tiger is significantly slower. However, Tiger's pace of play is almost never commented on. If you want to see really slow, have a look at either JB Holmes or Ben Crane.

soundsham

or that twat robert rock........

blackwaterfish

soundsham wrote: »

or that twat robert rock........

cant get over what he does when lining up a putt... sum neck. within the rules but at what cost to the integrity of any success?

DH2K9

I was at the JP and heard some people bitching about him saying he wouldn't give them an autograph. You should have seen the crowds following him he was absolutely mobbed and had a few GARDA with him. He was more than happy in signing everything but he was always being moved away by the gardai. The people that were complaining about him were just autograph hunters and not golf fans.

Speak Now

Even if Harrington never wins again he's still a legend.
Back to back winners of the Open, FFS even Nicklaus didn't do that.

Speaking of which, how unlucky was Jack not to win more than 3 Opens.

1963-1980

3-2-12-1-2-2-6-1-5-2-4-3-3-2-2-1-2-4 :eek:

Dr.Silly

can honestly say I never had any time for padraig...
granted, he's won the best prize in golf, on more than one occassion...
but I personally think he's extremely over-rated as a golfer.

When he's on form, granted, he's fantastic....but between the ears...there is just something not right...

Adiaga 2

Dr.Silly wrote: »

but between the ears...there is just something not right...

Is that your professional opinion Dr. Silly? :rolleyes:

Daithio9

If there was an olympic medal for "knocking there own" we'd win gold every time.