The splendid career of three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington will be commemorated on Monday when he becomes the only third Irishman in history to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony will take place at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in the Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina, and will coincide with the 124th US Open.
Harrington has scored 36 official victories worldwide, highlighted by three Majors (PGA Championship 2008 and The Open 2007, 2008) and one Senior Major at last year’s US Senior Open. He was named PGA Tour Player of the Year in 2008 and was part of six Ryder Cup teams, He was also the captain of the 2020 European squad.
The Dublin native will become the third Irishman to receive the honour after amateur Joe Carr, who was inducted in 2007, and Christy O’Connor Sr., one of the leading golfers on the British and Irish circuit from the mid-1950s who was voted in in 2009.
Peter Cowen, Harrington’s long-time coach with Golf Academies at both Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club and Emirates Golf Club, commented: “Padraig Harrington is still one of the hardest workers in the game of golf. I have been involved with him in a coaching role for over 11 years – but have known him for so much longer.
“His passion for the game and desire to try new things and keep improving his golf makes him a role model for us all. To be 52 years old and be competitive on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Champions Tour and Legends Tour is inspirational,” Cowen added.
“As a good friend, he rightly deserves to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and I thank him for the invite to attend the ceremony.”
Harrington, who is still an active player in world golf, said he felt humbled to receive the distinction.
“This is very exciting, obviously a huge honour,” he said. “It’s somewhat humbling. At this stage of my life, it gives me some validation of what I’ve done in golf. (It) brings back a flood of memories.
“This is a deep-down satisfaction, and I’m very proud to be included with the players before me. Seeing your name beside the names that I’ve looked up to as a boy and young golfer, it’s very nice. Everybody on the ballot deserves to be there.
“It’s unfortunate that everyone can’t be in, but it’s great to be included in the Class of 2024.”
Joining Harrington in the Class of 2024 are Tom Weiskopf, Sandra Palmer, Johnny Farrell and Beverly Hanson who will join the remaining seven of the 13 LPGA Founders
Six LPGA Founders – Patty Berg, Marlene Bauer Hagge, Louise Suggs, Babe Zaharias, Marilynn Smith and Betty Jameson – were already in the Hall. They will soon be joined by Alice Bauer, Bettye Danoff, Helen Dettweiler, Helen Hicks, Opal Hill, Sally Sessions and Shirley Spork. Hagge is the only living LPGA founder.
The Hall of Fame has two categories – Competitor and Contributor. Nominations must be aged 50 and over, and there are sub-committees to determine the candidates ultimately requiring 75 per cent of the vote to be confirmed as a nomination.
The World Golf Hall of Fame was until recently, located at World Golf Village in Florida, and only recently moved back to Pinehurst.
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It opened in 1974 with an initial class of 13 members. History shows that two other halls of fame were merged into the World Hall of Fame – the PGA of America established one in 1940 which merged in the 1980’s and the Hall of Fame of Women’s Golf established by the LPGA in 1951 and in 1988 also merged – and now the World Golf Hall of Fame is based at USGA Pinehurst Golf House.