Padraig Harrington is an incredibly knowledgable man when it comes to all things golf.
He’s a pretty good player as well, with three major titles and 41 worldwide professional wins to his name.
Harrington won the Open Championship in 2007 at Carnoustie and defended his crown at Royal Birkdale in 2008, before triumphing at the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills later that year.
He spends most of his time playing on the PGA Tour Champions now, and Harrington is probably just as well known for giving tips to amateur golfers on X as he is for his ability to win golf tournaments.
The 53-year-old is somewhat of a cult figure amongst his fellow pros on tour due to his incredible work ethic and quirky practice routines.
Michael Kim raved about Harrington earlier this year after playing alongside him in the Mexico Open.
The Irishman is incredibly captivating to listen to when he speaks, and that statement certainly rings true regarding his latest comments on caddies.
Padraig Harrington says he ‘can’t stand’ one thing caddies do that ‘drives him up the wall’
Harrington has had the same caddie since 2004.
Ronan Flood has been beside the 53-year-old for all of his major wins and four of his six Ryder Cup appearances.
The three-time major champion obviously respects his right hand man, and vice versa.
Harrington has now opened up on what he expects from his caddie, and what he really doesn’t like seeing other bag-men do:
“The problem with caddies out here is, it’s an addiction, because every week you can win the lottery. ON the main tour you can win a year’s wages and get 20, 25 weeks holiday. To be part of the big show. I know when I win, my caddie is a big part of it, because he spends the whole day talking me off of a ledge. He’s seriously in my ear being a psychologist all the way through it. Doing the yardages, carrying the bag is irrelevant, it’s what the caddy says and does on the golf course. The ability to say the right thing and not to say the wrong thing. I can’t stand a caddie who thinks he’s right all the time – that drives me up the wall. If he’s trying to cover up his mistakes, he’d be gone with me. I need a caddie to give me his forthright opinion, and if it’s wrong just stand there and go, ‘that was my opinion, that was what I thought at the time, you acted on it, that’s all we can do’. This is why I don’t lose my temper on the golf course.”
That’s actually a really refreshing viewpoint from Harrington. Too often in today’s game players blame their caddies for the poor shots they hit.
When Harrington paid 40 caddies’ bar tab
Not only is the Irishman an incredible golfer, but he’s clearly a very generous man as well.
Back in September 2022, Harrington won the Ascension Charity Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
After the tournament had finished, the caddies of the Champions Tour players organised a get together in a local bar, when Harrington showed up.
And the 53-year-old displayed his unbelievable generosity by paying for the entire bar tab…
What a man Harrington is – and obviously a very highly respected one as well within golfing circles.
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