Padraig Harrington still a believer after 20 years

He is one of Ireland’s most complex sportsmen and he is one of Ireland’s most interesting sportsmen. But perhaps it is that complexity which sparks such interest. Some would say he is Ireland’s greatest-ever sportsman. Call him what you want, there is one thing Pádraig Harrington certainly is: a believer.

The three-time Major winner will spend the next nine weeks away from the course as he undergoes – and recovers from – knee ligament surgery on an injury picked up while playing tennis.

It’s a setback that comes at the end of a season which, in his words, “could have been better” after winning the Honda Classic in March. It will be the new year before the Dubliner returns to tournament golf and he will do so at a time when an influx of young talent continues to dominate the game.

With that in mind, can a player who has struggled with his form for so long possibly reach the levels of Major championship wins again?

“Yes, absolutely,” he answers, without hesitating. “But it’s not a question of going back. It’s a question of going forward on a different path. I’ve done a good job this year by getting rid of two things in my game. Over the last few years I’d lost confidence in reading the greens but that doesn’t even cross my mind now. And another thing is that I was definitely thinking too much between shots and I’ve certainly shut that down quite a bit.”

Harrington was speaking yesterday at the Web Summit on behalf of Orreco – an analytics company he works with in the areas of science, nutrition and training. It’s something that is right up his street. Harrington’s work on the external and mental parts of the sport of golf are well documented and it’s clear that both are areas which fascinate him.

Mental aspect

It is that mental aspect of the game which helped him reach the very top and, in his opinion, the factor which contributed mostly to his drop in form, as opposed to the swing changes he made at the end of 2008.

“I made changes when I turned pro in 1995, I made massive changes in 1998. I won the Open in 2007 playing with a draw and I won it in 2008 playing with a fade. With hindsight I can say that I won those Majors by being so strong mentally. I tried to keep that level up and became intolerant and was hard on myself mentally after those wins.

“Ultimately, I peaked, and there was always going to be a natural trough afterwards, but I was trying too much to live up to the mental standards that I had during those weeks and really just put myself under too much pressure.”

It's not unreasonable to say that golf is probably the most psychologically demanding sport of all, and the Dubliner has worked with both Bob Rotella and Steve Peters in trying to master that side of the game. But does he feel that he can put too much emphasis on such aspects and perhaps going back to basics would prove more beneficial?

‘Right stuff’

“I’d love to be innocent but unfortunately I’m not. It’d be very easy to go out there and if you hadn’t got a thought in your head you’d be great but that’s not who I am. And after competing for as long as I have I know too much – there’s too much in my head. It’s not a question of trying to forget it, it’s a question of working hard to get the right stuff in your head and to push the other stuff aside. There’s no going back, there’s going forward and trying to find a new path and that’s the only way.”

That path is one which the Stackstown native is determined to beat. But it is a path which has changed significantly for Harrington in his years on tour. The buzz of competing has waned in his 20 years as a professional. Missing the cut at run-of-the-mill tournaments around Europe and America doesn't quite cut the mustard as much as lifting the Claret Jug or the Wanamaker Trophy does.

“I love the game in a different way but I don’t have the same excitement and butterflies as I used to have. I’m fascinated and intrigued by it but I’m cynical now.

“When you’ve reached the heights and then you go out there and you’re in the middle of the pack it’s disappointing because I know I can still compete.”

Harrington will continue to believe.