PADRAIG HARRINGTON has been accorded a unique distinction by the Irish Golf Writers' Association. Twelve months after being chosen as leading amateur, the Stackstown player has been named as top professional in the association's annual awards.

Sponsored by Murphy's, the awards will be presented at the annual banquet at Clontarf GC on December 6th. The other recipients are: Leading woman amateur - Barbara Hackett; leading male amateur - Peter Lawrie; Distinguished services to golf - Ivan Dickson.

Harrington, who will know next week whether he is also to be honoured as the European Tour's Rookie of the Year, has had a remarkable debut season as a professional. As Spanish Open champion, he went on to finish 11th in the final Order of Merit table with official earnings of £285,023. In the process, he recorded a stroke average of 71.39 (tied 12th) for 28 tournaments and carded a total of 329 birdies, leaving him sixth in that particular category behind Paul Broadhurst. And on the way to victory in Madrid, his lead of six strokes after 54 holes tied the best of the season with Tom Lehman (British Open) and Ian Woosnam (German Open).

For 1995, he gained the leading amateur award for a splendid Walker Cup swansong a month after he had captured the Irish Close Championship. As it happened, Lawrie was his successor in that event, capturing the trophy with some outstanding play at Royal Co Down where he defeated Garth McGimpsey in the final.

But there was much more to a memorable season by the Newlands and UCD representative. He took six points out of six in the Interprovincial Championship; was an impressive winner of the Mullingar Scratch Trophy and beat the champions from England, Scotland and Wales at number one in the Home Internationals at Moray two months ago.

Barbara Hackett, a 25-year-old member of Castletroy, fulfilled several years of outstanding promise by winning the Irish Women's Close at Tramore last May when she beat no less a figure than Lillian Behan in the final. Three months later her impact was extended to the international scene in the British Women's Open at Woburn.

There, the tall, powerful Limerick woman gained the distinction of becoming the first Irish player to capture the leading amateur medal. In fact her performance was such that she was paired with, the distinguished American, Beth Daniel, in the final round.

Dickson, a member of Grange, has had a distinguished career in golf administration, starting as honorary secretary of the Leinster Branch GUI. He went on to become secretary of the branch and was an extremely popular choice as general secretary of the GUI at national level in 1983, when he replaced Bill Menton. Now in retirement, he was succeeded by Shay Smith earlier this year.