Pádraig Harrington famously credited the wrist injury he carried into the 2008 Open Championship as the reason he won it and feels freak injuries are par for the course in professional golf as he urges Rory McIlroy to tee it up in Thursday’s US PGA Championship at Aronimink.
McIlroy was forced to curtail his practice round on Tuesday to just four holes as he battles a blister on his pinky toe. Having soaked it in water on Monday night he revealed that he had ripped the toenail off but it is clear that it is still giving him significant discomfort ahead of his Thursday tee time with Jon Rahm and grand slam chasing Jordan Spieth.
Harrington damaged his wrist the weekend before his Claret Jug defence at Royal Birkdale after striking an impact bag. McIlroy himself, missed the 2015 Open after injuring ankle ligaments while playing football with friends. But Harrington has urged the defending Masters champion to suck it up and play.
“If he’s pulled off a nail, it’s very bad and it’s very sore,” Harrington told reporters before the PGA Championship champions dinner. “So he’s got two options: he could sit at home or he could come out and play.
“Why would you stay at home when you could take a chance and come out and play?”
Harrington, now 54, has been no stranger to battling niggles and even substantial injuries, including a neck operation and broken bones, during his career. He is regularly seen wearing a knee bandage these days. He insists it is part of the package with professional golf.
“For a third of all my tournaments, I wasn’t even close to fit to play,” he said as he prepared for last night’s Champions Dinner. “From 2000 to 2016, when I had my neck operation, I’d say for two-thirds of my tournaments, I wasn’t fit, and for one-third I was completely unfit.”
“Look, I can’t close my fist, my fingers won’t do that. I’ve strapped up my arms or they wouldn’t work.
“I have needed that knee replaced for the last five years. This knee is gimpy. It’s the nature of the game. Everybody is playing through something.
“It’s not even beware the injured golfer. I’ve had a disc replaced in my neck and broken a bone in my hand. Everybody’s fighting something.
“I broke my toe the other week. Kicked the bed. You can’t do anything about it.”
Harrington is in the midst of an already big year for himself. He has two senior major defences at the US Senior Open and Senior Open, while the Open Championship at Birkdale is the site of one of his aforementioned two Claret Jug triumphs and he will also be playing in the US Open.
The 2008 PGA Championship winner is 800/1 in some bookmakers to land that fourth major which has perhaps become more unrealistic as it has elusive. Since placing fourth behind Phil Mickelson at Kiawah Island in 2021, the Dubliner has missed three of his last four cuts at the PGA.
Still, Harrington’s calendar always seems to be centred around bumper events although he no longer scribbles down the lofty goals on the back of a plane ticket like he used to.
“I don’t write my goals down. Now it’s just a bit of a wing and a prayer. I’m aware of where I’m playing and what ones are important to me. I’m very much each week as it comes there’s no long term focus in me at all it’s trying to play as well as I can immediately as I can.
“I’m looking for the very best version of Pádraig Harrington rather than an adequate version of him.”
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