Will Harrington win another Major?

ionadnapóca

After Harringtons recent "break" from coach Bob Torrance, i think it spells the end of any hope he had of rekindling the form of 2008.

This Quote from Torrance sounds particularly foreboding;
'You're going down the wrong road, if you go down too far, you won't come back.' You cannot make changes at 40 in golf. You can make them when you are in your 20s but once you get to 40 it is too late."

Johnny_Fontane

I hope I am wrong, but I dont see him winning another tournament let alone a major the way he is going.

He hasnt been in the mix for a tournament for probably 18 months. Ok, maybe the irish open last year, but lets be honest, he was chasing from the pack and fisher was always really in control. I dont count that tournament in asia.....

We need to see him putting 4 rounds together consistently and putting himself in the mix coming into the back 9 on any tourney. Asking him to win a WGC is a massive ask.....

He's not totally dead yet, but the signs are really not encouraging.

Mongarra

I think any player who has won 3 majors in a year or so (maybe not that many have done so) and then decides to change his swing needs his head examined. That is where PH has the problem IMO. In his head.

WHIP IT!

Golf is such a weird feckin game though. He appears to be a million miles from the player he once was. But one tiny, little thing could turn his form - and his career - around. It sounds improbable. But, we have to hope, that one day soon, something will click in his head. He'll get the bounce of a ball somewhere maybe - and he'll be off and pacing again.

Funny ol game...

blackwaterfish

i might be over simplifying it a bit but...

as far as i can see all he needs to get some decent top 10s is some level of consistancy off the tee with the big stick. the confidence he'd get from that alone would push on the rest of his game imo.

FIND THE FECKING FAIRWAY PADRAIG!!!!

another major?... sadly, who bloody knows what our man is capable of.

charlieIRL

To be honest, i can't see him winning anything either which is a great pity.

Maybe by the time he hits the seniors tour he might have figured out what he wants to do!!!

Mossy9

I think we'll find that he goes back to Torrance after a bit of a break.
Butch Harmon said as much today and that probably a break will do them both good.
I do hope Padraig can get his game back up there sometime soon.
He's great fun to watch.

Russman

Agree wholeheartedly it'd be great to see him back to his best.

Maybe someone can clear this up,

I was reading a lot of the articles about PH leaving Torrence and the reasons etc etc,

When he was on the range, hitting it great as they all do, was it Padraig or Bob that was saying he wasn't doing it right ?

I saw one article where Padraig was saying he'd hit a great shot on the range but he'd know Bob would be stood there thinking "what a terrible swing" but then I read another piece that implied Padraig would be hitting it great but still convinced his swing was wrong and Bob wasn't having any of that.

Problems are all in his head anyway. He was always slightly nuts.

k.p.h

The way the question is phrased is a bit off "win another major" ..., Shur you could substitute Harringtons name for just about any other golfer in the world and their would still be some debate.

Win another tournament be it a major or not .. Yes I think he will.

This thread will be dead and buried and we will all be sleeping in our beds and he will still be out hitting balls. I think he has got what it takes to get back on track. :cool:

Opics

Mongarra wrote: »

I think any player who has won 3 majors in a year or so (maybe not that many have done so) and then decides to change his swing needs his head examined. That is where PH has the problem IMO. In his head.

I guess Tiger and all the other multiple major winners in the past need their heads examined then :rolleyes:

Martin567

Russman wrote: »

Agree wholeheartedly it'd be great to see him back to his best.

Maybe someone can clear this up,

I was reading a lot of the articles about PH leaving Torrence and the reasons etc etc,

When he was on the range, hitting it great as they all do, was it Padraig or Bob that was saying he wasn't doing it right ?

I saw one article where Padraig was saying he'd hit a great shot on the range but he'd know Bob would be stood there thinking "what a terrible swing" but then I read another piece that implied Padraig would be hitting it great but still convinced his swing was wrong and Bob wasn't having any of that.

Problems are all in his head anyway. He was always slightly nuts.

Different articles were slightly contradictory on this. Padraig's success with Bob seems to have been founded on an insatiable desire for hard work on both their behalf's. Bob seems to be saying that the disagreement is over a change that Padraig wants to make with his right elbow which Bob thinks is unneccessary. Meanwhile, Padraig is quoted as saying that he wants to spend less time on the range and more time on the short game and mental side. If the later is true, he may well end up back with Bob after a short break.

To the OP, if you had started a thread last month wondering if Darren Clarke would win a Major, what response do you think you would have got? There are no certainties in this game.

To Mongarra - Padraig had a brilliant start to his career, finishing in the Top 10 on the Order of Merit in his first two seasons as a Pro. What did he do then? He fundamentally reconstructed his entire swing as he believed his existing swing was not good enough to win Majors. How many players would have done the same in his position? Very few, I would say. It's fair to say he was proven correct. When he won the USPGA, he single putted 8 of the last 9 holes. His long game was actually quite wayward that day. He probably believed that, 9 times out of 10, he would not win again hitting the ball like that. Therefore he made more changes because that is simply the way he is wired.

mags1962

I'm afraid that he is looking for that one little thing that will click everything in to gear but the problem with that is losing it just as quickly.
I also read somewhere that Bob Torrance would rather look at the flight of the ball to analyse a swing fault but Paddy seems to have no consistent miss as it were but does a lot of tinkering.

ionadnapóca

k.p.h wrote: »

The way the question is phrased is a bit off "win another major" ..., Shur you could substitute Harringtons name for just about any other golfer in the world and their would still be some debate.

Win another tournament be it a major or not .. Yes I think he will.

This thread will be dead and buried and we will all be sleeping in our beds and he will still be out hitting balls. I think he has got what it takes to get back on track. :cool:

The question is specific to Majors. And i think a valid question. I am interested to hear other peoples opinion and hence the thread!

blodvyn

He should take a break and come back in about 3-6 months, the layoff will give him his hunger back, also he needs to s top trying to change his game, ESPECIALLY when as stated, it's brough him 3 majors in a year.

death1234567

He has to get back in contention in the samll tournamentsbefore he can consider winning a major. I don't see him ever getting back into good form TBH.

PRAF

Looking at his stats last night, his long game was horrible (way below average in terms of Driving Accuracy and Greens in Regulation). His scrambling saved him. From what little I saw of him in the Irish Open, his driving wasn't actually too bad. At least he is hitting it out there quite a long way.

His iron play is terrible though. Distance control seems to be a big problem. Case in point was towards the end of yesterdays round - centre of the fairway after a great drive, 150m to the pin, all the danger is short, soft greens so he can hit it up there, PH hits it 10m short of the green into the rough. I saw the opposite in the Irish Open, centre of fairway, all the danger is long, and that's where he hits it.

Not sure if that is a swing fault, a lack of strategy, low confidence, or a caddy fault. If he fixes his iron play, there is nothing to stop him being a top-10 golfer again.

I'm hopeful rather than confident!

deko43

He got a lot of coverage on Sky last night. He hit very few greens and had more chips than Beshoffs !!! Seems to spay it left and right even with a 3 wood and is giving himself very few birdie chances. Hope he gets it back but I would'nt bet on it..

Rikand

Friend of mine got to walk 9 holes with him in Waterville before the British Open and he was absolutely smashing it straight down the middle everytime, 300+ yards a go.

He goes on tour and he's all over the shop.

Sort out his nerves or alleviate some of that pressure on himself and he'll be gold.

ionadnapóca

Rickylovesuall wrote: »

Friend of mine got to walk 9 holes with him in Waterville before the British Open and he was absolutely smashing it straight down the middle everytime, 300+ yards a go.

He goes on tour and he's all over the shop.

Sort out his nerves or alleviate some of that pressure on himself and he'll be gold.

I was in Waterville the following week and heard the same thing. Allot of people put money on him. Me included!

ssbob

Couple of points here:

1. Paddy played crap last night but still managed a resepctable 71 and still in with a shout of a good finish. DC played better but dropped the head and threw away some silly shots over the final few holes(I am a DC lover btw)
2. Paddy up to now has been focused on getting longer distance, yesterday he averaged 302.5 which was 21st in driving distance so problem solved here although accuracy is a problem, must sort this to compete.
3. I actually think a close friend(Wife, Caddy, parents etc) need to pull him aside and tell him he is playing crap rather than Rotella getting inside his head(although I noticed Lee Westwood recently hired him)
4. Paddy will win 1 more major but only after going back to Torrance and really listening to him.

Watched Paddy in Killarney teeing off on 18 and you could actually here him thinking, he stood up and stood away from the ball about 4 times.

Watch out for the Paddy stare this weekend:D

sky88

tbh who thought darren clarke would have won the british open so u never now if harrington will win another one

charlieIRL

ssbob wrote: »

Watch out for the Paddy stare this weekend:D

Only if he gets by today!!! (Hopefully he will)

Opics

charlieIRL wrote: »

Only if he gets by today!!! (Hopefully he will)

Um...there's no cut :rolleyes:

Tones69

Theres no cut for this event, which means if ur playing bad its horrible! You cant even catch a break after 2 days ha. Clarke really looked out of it yesterday and to me he looked very stressed/tired

charlieIRL

Opics wrote: »

Um...there's no cut :rolleyes:

Tones69 wrote: »

Theres no cut for this event, which means if ur playing bad its horrible! You cant even catch a break after 2 days ha. Clarke really looked out of it yesterday and to me he looked very stressed/tired

oops!!!:o:o:o

charlieIRL

PH stats for the first 5 holes.......
+1
DrivingAccuracy 40%
Driving Distance 278.0
Putts per GIR 2
GIR 40%

C'mon lad, wake up!!

EDIT - he just birdied the 6th

footie_fanatic

I think and hope he will, I hope he stops changing his swing and goes back to the winning method, HEres hoping plenty more majors come to Eire

BiffoGooner

Darren Clarke's win proved you can never say never in Golf, but you'd have to say it's unlikely for Harrington. He's just a headcase, and those 3 major wins pushed him over the edge for once and for all.

k.p.h

ionadnapokot wrote: »

The question is specific to Majors. And i think a valid question. I am interested to hear other peoples opinion and hence the thread!

Oh yeah no problem it's definitely a valid question but I was just trying to make the point that their are very few players I would say with any certainty weather or not they would win a major in years to come.

I fully expect Harrington to have a good run and a return to form at some stage.He is too talented and dedicated not too IMO. Would not be surprised if it was sooner rather than later also. Will he win a major in that time ..? Thats very hard to say ..

Nerdstrom

Yes. Hes too good not to imo

MungoMan

There isnt a single player who you can say will definitely win a major in the future.

Even players like Tiger, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson may not win a major in the future.

Winning a major for any player is an improbable event, teeing off in a major with 150 top professionals only 4 times a year, and most of them are won by one hit wonders. Of course the one hit wonders are great golfers, but it is quite rare for a golfer to win 2 or more majors in a career.

Martin567

MungoMan wrote: »

There isnt a single player who you can say will definitely win a major in the future.

Even players like Tiger, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson may not win a major in the future.

Winning a major for any player is an improbable event, teeing off in a major with 150 top professionals only 4 times a year, and most of them are won by one hit wonders. Of course the one hit wonders are great golfers, but it is quite rare for a golfer to win 2 or more majors in a career.

+1

In over 100 years of Major Golf Championships, only 18 players have ever won 5 Majors or more. These are all the most famous players in the history of the game. It always makes me laugh when I hear people casually saying that if this player or that player could sort himself out, he should still win "a few more Majors".

Stella89

Just looked at his stats for his current event. His driving is 65th/76 players and green in regulation 75th/76 are terrible, but his Short game is very good, and his getting the most out of a round is second to none. This hasn't waned

His competiveness is amazing. When it starts coming together in a week, he will do very well!

ionadnapóca

Martin567 wrote: »

+1

In over 100 years of Major Golf Championships, only 18 players have ever won 5 Majors or more. These are all the most famous players in the history of the game. It always makes me laugh when I hear people casually saying that if this player or that player could sort himself out, he should still win "a few more Majors".

Well i was one of 100s of thousands of people who predicted that Harrington would win a major. Again, the Q's is can he win another one? Its not that outrageous to say yes or no. Its an opinion.

Jul3s

ionadnapokot wrote: »

Well i was one of 100s of thousands of people who predicted that Harrington would win a major. Again, the Q's is can he win another one? Its not that outrageous to say yes or no. Its an opinion.

Well he's definitely screwed now and guaranteed to not win another tournament never mind a major.

Spazzy Magee

MungoMan wrote: »

There isnt a single player who you can say will definitely win a major in the future.

Even players like Tiger, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson may not win a major in the future.

Winning a major for any player is an improbable event, teeing off in a major with 150 top professionals only 4 times a year, and most of them are won by one hit wonders. Of course the one hit wonders are great golfers, but it is quite rare for a golfer to win 2 or more majors in a career.

Mungo Man hit's the nail on the head here. Winning a major is unlikely for most players. Don't be sucked in by what the commentators say on TV. According to them every young lad coming on tour with a half decent game "will win majors". It's been said about so many players over the years.....they can't all win majors!! There are too many variables that have to come together over 4 days and there are only 4 chances every year.

Harrington has 3 majors in the bag and in the grand scheme of things that is an excellent record for most players. I would love him to win one or two more and I think he can, but I don't think anyone should expect him to. You can see how hard he tries on every shot in every round in every tournament, if he could just loosen up a bit mentally I think he would climb back towards the top 10. That's unlikely though, his mind is so analytical and that's how it has always been. There's always hope though

blackwaterfish

he's been drawn with TW & davis love III for the first two rounds at the uspga. at least we'll get to see him miss every fairway!

be great if he did well tho. top 15 would be super.

soundsham

blackwaterfish wrote: »

he's been drawn with TW & davis love III for the first two rounds at the uspga. at least we'll get to see him miss every fairway!

be great if he did well tho. top 15 would be super.

Be great if he wasn't just on the range sat and sun

charlieIRL

blackwaterfish wrote: »

he's been drawn with TW & davis love III for the first two rounds at the uspga. at least we'll get to see him miss every fairway!

be great if he did well tho. top 15 would be super.

PH & Tigers round will take hours - neither of them can hit a fairway lately!!

blackwaterfish

soundsham wrote: »

Be great if he wasn't just on the range sat and sun

in fairness thats what was on my mind.. but ya have to aim high.

with a uspga course set up he may just have a slim chance of driving me up the wall come sunday evening.

FortuneChip

Even if Harrington gets back to his best, he'd still have another barrier to winning a major, and that's the amount of other talented golfers deserving of a major.
Lee Westwood and Luke Donald are two golfers that have done everything bar win the Major.
Some of the Aussie talent lately, (Day and Scott in particular) have been featuring heavily in the top 10's of tournaments.
Fowler, Bubba and Dustin have Major potential in the US.
Then, we've got Rory who has lit up Majors in the last year with some superb rounds (yeah, and some "collapses")

There's no point in speculating his chances over any of the tens of players who in my opinion have what it takes to win a major.

Not to say I wouldn't cheer him down the 18th Fairway on a Sunday

Adiaga 2

FortuneChip wrote: »

and that's the amount of other talented golfers deserving of a major.

Don't agree with that. You hear people say it a lot, that so-an-so deserves to win a major and I don't get it. Nobody deserves to win a major. I agree that Donald and Westwood are very good players but they have to do it all on the four days and they haven't yet. Westwood's best chance was Torrey Pines in 2008 and he didn't get it done, very close again at Turnberry but again didn't it done. I don't believe he deserved to win either because, well, he didn't get it done. And I guess it's easy to forget lately but what PH did winning 3 was very impressive and very rare really.

FortuneChip

Adiaga 2 wrote: »

Don't agree with that. You hear people say it a lot, that so-an-so deserves to win a major and I don't get it. Nobody deserves to win a major. I agree that Donald and Westwood are very good players but they have to do it all on the four days and they haven't yet. Westwood's best chance was Torrey Pines in 2008 and he didn't get it done, very close again at Turnberry but again didn't it done. I don't believe he deserved to win either because, well, he didn't get it done. And I guess it's easy to forget lately but what PH did winning 3 was very impressive and very rare really.

Sorry, I actually agree with you there. Schwartzel proved he deserved a Major when taking advantage at Augusta when the opportunity presented itself etc. I moreso meant deserving Major speculation.
There's no doubt that Harringtons Trio was something special, but it's forgotten in stead of his "new" swings. He hasn't been able to string together more than one (and they're rare enough) round of golf almost since winning his last major. I'm overlooking his win in Asia, as his was the only name I remember being able to pronounce.
And as some of the lads have said before me, his stats are well below the required standard to compete properly.
110/1 as we speak for USPGA, sure he's a Former Winner!!!

Trampas

charlieIRL wrote: »

PH & Tigers round will take hours - neither of them can hit a fairway lately!!

The gallery will be standing in the middle of the fairway is what you meant to say

charlieIRL

Trampas wrote: »

The gallery will be standing in the middle of the fairway is what you meant to say

yes! At least they won't have to worry about getting hit by a ball there!!:D

mags1962

Wonder if he should change his caddie. Having his bro in law on the bag is maybe not doing him any favours. Is he as good as he should be for the top players? Does he contribute instead of just agreeing with Paddy all the time? Does he put in the spadework required?

the_blackstuff

I actually followed Padraig for most of his 2 rounds in killarney at the open and to be honest he probably is playing that bad. He was fair good from tee to green but nothing really dropped for him. He's driving was fairly good. He hit most fairways and he was a good 30 meters ahead of the lads he was playing with. The scotish open a few weeks before he had a couple of good rounds as well. I do think that the change of coach will help him out. He's hitting the ball well enough but a few new ideas with give him a lift. He was always a brillant scrambler in my opinion. I do see him competing again and hopefully soon

sunbabe08

i firmly believe he still has a chance. thats my irish optimism talking.

doomed

I'd be a big PH fan but I don't see it. He's dropping like a stone in the rankings and his long game is really off. The only reason he is even in the top 70 at the moment is that he started in top 10.

He is not alone. Anyone expect Ernie Els, Vijay Singh to win another one?

No shame in it. He has already achieved something that very few will do and there are players with more talent who will achieve a lot less. He has 3 more major wins than the following combined.

Monty
Donald
Casey
Garcia
Westwood
Ian Poulter
Adam Scott
Anthony Kim
Dustin Johnson
Christy O'Connor x 2
and Me

I wish him well.

ssbob

doomed wrote: »

He is not alone. Anyone expect Ernie Els, Vijay Singh to win another one?

Ernie is one of the greatest players of our generation, he could won more and last year I really thought he hit a bit of form at the start of the year, he has 3 major championships, 6 second places and 5 3rd place finishes, if Ernie gets hot with the putter then he can contend with the best of them.

As for Vijay, i really think his age has caught up with him, he is now 48 and hasn't really contended in major championships the past 4 or 5 years, he like Harrington is a range addict and it seems to have caught up with him.

Harrington will be 40 this year and I really hope he can do a Jiminez on it and really excel in his forties.

mikeunt

8 birdies and 3 bogeys from harro today
looks like he has turned the corner big time
should kick on now in the next couple of years and win 5 or 6 more majors and put that little upstart rory back in his box