Pádraig Harrington admits he would like to be inducted into the 2024 Class of the World Golf Hall of Fame after being announced as one of the twelve finalists shortlisted.
Harrington joins the likes of double major winner Dottie Pepper, Jim Furyk and former swing coach to Tiger Woods, Butch Harmon in the 12-person list that includes four men, four women and four contributors.
A 20-member selection panel comprising of Hall of Fame members, media and leaders of major golf organisations will meet at the Players Championship on March 8 to cast their votes on induction and Harrington hopes he is included.
“Yeah, there’s 20 finalists, and when you look down through the names, you’d hope all of them get into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Everybody on that list is very deserving,” said Harrington who is a three-time major champion.
“I’d like it to be me for sure, but I look at another 19 very deserving candidates, and it’s a pity some of us are going to be disappointed at the end of it, but hopefully, as I said, they’re all deserving, and hopefully it works out for us all.”
The Dubliner has won six times on the PGA TOUR including at this week’s Honda Classic in 2015 while picking up 15 wins on the DP World Tour as well as the 2007 & 08 Open Championships and 2008 PGA Championship – becoming the first European to win the PGA in 78 years and first winner from Ireland.
The 51-year-old became the first Irishman to win the Open Championship in 60 years when he beat Sergio Garcia in a playoff in Carnoustie and became the first European golfer since 1906 to retain the Claret Jug in Birkdale a year later.
Aside from Tiger Woods in 2000, 2002, and 2006, Harrington was the first golfer to win two majors in the same year since Mark O’Meara in 1998 and the first to win consecutive majors in the same year since Nick Price in 1994. A feat that has since been achieved by Rory McIlroy in 2014, winning the Open Championship and PGA Championship, as well as Jordan Spieth who won the Masters and the U.S. Open in 2015.
The Stackstown native achieved a number of individual accolades including winning the 2006 European Tour Order of Merit and Players Player of the Year in 2008.
Harrington has also won player of the year on both the European and PGA Tours, picking up both awards in 2008 which meant he retained his European crown from 07.
The 2021 European Ryder Cup captain has enjoyed widespread success on the Champions Tour, winning rookie of the year last year having notched four wins including the US Senior’s Open – quite the CV.
Full List of finalists:
Padraig Harrington, Tom Weiskopf, Dottie Pepper, Jim Furyk, Cristie Kerr, Sandra Palmer, Peter Dawson, Butch Harmon, Johnny Farrell, Beverly Hanson, Jay Sigel, and the seven remaining co-founders of the LPGA: Alice Bauer, Bettye Danoff, Helen Detweiler, Helen Hicks, Opal Hill, Shirley Spork, Sally Sessions.
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