Pádraig Harrington admits that he would love to put himself in position to win a fourth major championship this year as he bids to become the oldest winner on tour.
The 54-year-old is exempt into three of the four majors this year and would need to become the oldest winner on tour to earn a spot in the Masters this April. If not, then the PGA Championship at Aronimink in May, the US Open at Shinnecock Hills in June and The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July would be his chances to eclipse the major winning achievement of a then 50-year-old Phil Mickelson at the 2021 PGA Championship.
“Look, it’s not hard to figure out where my focus is,” Harrington told RTÉ Radio of his goals for the year. “There’ll be four senior majors I’ll play next year. And I play three of the four majors.
“Outside of that, I’d love to win a regular tour event, just to be the oldest guy to win on tour.”
Harrington opens the 31st season of his professional career at the Dubai Invitational tomorrow which will be the first of three successive events on the DP World Tour. The Dubliner is without a regular tour top-10 finish since the 2023 Valero Texas Open.
But he acknowledges his best bet at winning a fourth major title will be if he is coming in hot and these events could set him up nicely for the PGA Championship and beyond.
“I don’t necessarily think I’m going to go in and win one on the blind, as in, like a Tom Watson,” Harrington said of the 59-year-old’s dream run at the 2009 Open at Turnberry.
“I think if I’m going to win one, I think you’ll see me in contention in some regular events going into it. I don’t see myself jumping in there and having an out-of-body experience and winning.
“I see myself playing well, getting my game in good shape, and building my way into those events and playing well, getting myself in contention. I know down the stretch, I can do it …”
Harrington remains one of the longer players on tour and he believes he is capable of keeping up with the young guns in the biggest events.
“I’m not looking for a lucky week. But I need to move myself into that category of, ‘Don’t write off Harrington, he could do okay this week’, and then get myself into position with nine holes to go.
“You know, I feel like I can compete with anybody in that situation.”
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