Are Pádraig’s best days gone by?

PÁDRAIG Harrington already had a European Tour win under his belt and was regarded as one of the most promising young players in the world when he turned up at the Congressional Country Club outside Washington DC for his first tilt at the US Open in 1997.

He had travelled with a sense of quiet confidence and even had a number of enthusiastic supporters in the galleries all sporting hats and polo shirts emblazoned with the message “Beir Bua”.

Pádraig had surprised everybody by winning the 1996 Spanish Open in his first year on tour and a series of impressive performances had underlined his potential still further.