Nov 2, 2016: Padraig Harrington is hoping to use the European Tour’s Final Series, which tees off this week at the Turkish Airlines Open, as a springboard for a resurgence back to the world’s top 50 following his return to the winner’s circle two weeks ago.
The three-time Major winner from Ireland claimed his first European Tour victory in eight years at the recent Portugal Masters, a victory which elevated him to 43rd in the Race to Dubai and prompted him to reshuffle his schedule and shift his focus to the Final Series.
Harrington will now play the crucial final three events of the European Tour season – next week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge is followed by the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai – with the hope of capitalising on his winning form and returning to the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
“I think winning obviously always helps with your confidence,” said the Dubliner. “I think from my perspective, I was telling people that good things are around the corner. I could see it in my game.
“Now I need to get back into the top 50 in the world to get into the bigger events, just like I’m here for these three Final Series events. Winning has got me back into these main events now and I could win again or have some big performances now to get myself back in the WGCs and the Majors.
“I’ve only played two majors a year for the last couple of years, but I’ve played okay when I’m playing them. I feel good at a Major tournament, so it’s disappointing when I miss out on them. So that’s the goal, to get myself back up inside that top 50, where it’s self-perpetuating in terms of staying in it, and get myself back in those majors and try to win one.”
While the 43 year old’s one-shot triumph over Andy Sullivan in Portugal certainly defied his form prior to that event – he had missed three consecutive cuts – Harrington insisted that the win came as no surprise to him.
“What I have found after I win is you get an idea of what other people are thinking,” he said. “The amount of people for whom it was a surprise was interesting, and maybe it was a surprise that I won, but not in my head.
“Every time I tee it up I think I’m going to win. That’s what I’m here for. It might not be the truth or might not be reality, but I’ve got to believe that. It was a bit of a surprise, I suppose, with other people’s reactions but in my head, I’m still the player I always was, if not a better player.”
Harrington will be joined in the field this week by fellow Major-winner Danny Willett, as well as former World Number One Lee Westwood, while Victor Dubuisson of France will be hoping to make it a third win in the four-year history of the event.
European Tour Release
