Harrington needs Luck of the Irish
Updated: March 24, 2005, 6:59 PM ET
By Jason Sobel | ESPN.com
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Ever heard of the Luck of the Irish?
Of course you have.
Now someone just has to introduce this little phenomenon to Padraig Harrington.
Harrington has 26 career worldwide runner-up finishes, including each of the past two years at Sawgrass.
You might be wondering why the sixth-ranked player in the world even needs any luck. Well, just look at the numbers.
Last year, Harrington finished in second place at The Players Championship. The year before that? Second place.
Playing follow the leader is more than just a trend for Harrington; it's a way of life. Sure, he won the Honda Classic two weeks ago for his first career PGA Tour win. And OK, so he has nine other international victories.
But he also owns a whopping 26 second-place finishes worldwide.
That's right, folks: The man from Dublin has been doublin' and triplin' his runner-up total over the past few years.
Let's just say the Irishman had a right to be a little green with envy. And if he told you to kiss something other than his Blarney stone, well, that might be understandable, too.
After all, it took a little pre-St. Patrick's Day luck – the good kind this time – for him to claim his first PGA Tour win at the Honda Classic. Competing with Vijay Singh on the second playoff hole, Harrington saw the No. 1 player uncharacteristically miss a two-foot putt, giving him his first victory on U.S. soil just four days before the annual Irish festival known as Lá Fhéile Pádraig.
Now that he has finally got the leprechaun off his back and a win under his belt, you might think Harrington would be itching to get back on tour this week. You'd be wrong.
"I certainly didn't want to come," Harrington said Wednesday.
No, he isn't still a bit despondent from his close calls at Sawgrass the past two years. Instead, Harrington wanted to remain in Ireland with his father, Paddy, who has cancer and became ill recently.
"This situation only came about last Wednesday," said Harrington, who returned to Ireland after his Honda triumph. "I'd rather not be here. But the fact that I'm here means that I'm going to go out there and try to do my job as professionally as I can."
On Thursday, that meant putting golf before his father, if only for a few hours. It meant four birdies in his first eight holes. And it meant a 5-under 67, good enough for a share of eighth place.
"Obviously, [my mind] wasn't where I wanted it to be today at times," Harrington said. "I was slightly distracted at times, and I did struggle with my concentration."
Let's hope Harrington is able to keep his concentration for three more days. Let's hope Paddy gets to see his boy win another one. Let's hope that string of second-place finishes is a thing of the past.
And let's hope that Harrington finds a little Luck of the Irish this week. The good kind, of course.
Jason Sobel is ESPN.com's golf editor. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com.
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